Rebirth Of The Dragon
by Jukka Bushtail
Summary: Three years after the end of the game, Zidane is on his way to meet Vivi and his seven kids when someone unexpectedly arrives...
1. 1 Rebirth Of The Dragon

A/N: This is in the aftermath of FFIX, three years or so on. Zidane and Garnet are engaged, Vivi has seven kids, Beatrix and Steiner are a definite item, Freya and Fratley are living together and helping to rebuild Burmecia, Eiko has been adopted by Cid and Hilda and next in line to the regency, and Quina went back to Qu's Marsh disappointed (and very hungry!), although she pretty much travels wherever she wants. Amarant/ Salamander has not been seen, but he can look after himself. Lani is still a great bounty hunter, but she is now good friends with Beatrix and drops in once in a while to catch up on old times. Well, I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I am enjoying writing it!  
  
***  
  
On the Outer Continent, Zidane was about to enter the Magdalene Forest, the forest that surrounds the Black Mage Village. He thought of his fiancée, Dagger as he continued to call her. Of course he missed her, but he wanted to see Vivi again. It had been such a long time since they had spoken, and it would be great to meet Vivi's seven children. "Who is their mother anyway?" Zidane thought.  
  
Vivi appeared out of the trees, seven little mages in tow. "Hi, Zidane!" he called. He jumped out of the undergrowth and fell flat on his face. He got up, straightening his hat. "I heard you were coming... so I brought the kids with me to meet you."  
  
"Hi Vivi, it's so good to see you! How have you been? And these are your kids? You're lucky Vivi, to have these nice kids. I'm sure they will grow up to be just like their father." Zidane said and smiled. It was so good to see Vivi.  
  
"Um... thanks." said Vivi. "This is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday." as he said a name, he pointed to a mini mage, and they waved shyly in turn.  
  
"Is everyone all right?" Vivi asked, walking towards the village. "All the Genomes are settling in fine. Some of them are going with Mr. 209 on trips to Condie Petie."  
  
Zidane looked at the children. "You sure are inventive, Vivi." He laughed, the turned to Vivi. "As far as I know, everyone is all right. I haven't heard from Freya for quite awhile, but she can take care of herself. Dagger is great, Beatrix is okay too and then there's me. I'm great, except that I'm bored. I just can't settle down. I need to do something." he said and avoided Sunday (Or Thursday, he couldn't really tell.) who was running in circles. "Is Mikoto all right too?" he asked.  
  
"Um... yeah." Vivi said, straightening his hat. "She's helping Mr. 89 and Mr. 103 start a chocobo farm. Oh yeah, and I saw Eiko yesterday. She said she was going to be a queen like Garnet. I sure hope she's alright."  
  
***  
  
Zidane laughed. "Eiko sure is crazy." He yawned, and stretched. The ground was very uncomfortable to sleep on. "You know what? Sometimes I wonder. How my life would have been if I grew up in Terra..."  
  
"Don't worry about it, Zidane." Vivi said. "You shouldn't wonder about what could have happened. Just what is happening and will happen. You taught me that."  
  
"Yeah, maybe. I believe in destiny and all actions having a consequence. Dagger and me, for example. We're meant to be. But I can't stop thinking. But it's silly, really. My life is great at the moment. I have nothing to complain about." Zidane answered.  
  
They came to the portal. Vivi lifted his hands and opened the gateway. They jumped through quickly, closing it behind them, leaving only an image of a dead forest.  
  
After they had gone, a figure stepped out of the trees behind them. He hid his face in his white cloak. "Remember, Zidane..." he whispered.  
  
***  
  
Zidane looked around as they entered the Black Mage Village. "It sure has been a long time since I was here." he thought. "Say Vivi, I was wondering. Who's their mother? If it's too personal I don't mind, you're not answering. I'm just curious."  
  
"Um... they don't have one." mumbled Vivi. "I remembered what Kuja said at the Iifa Tree on how we are made... I went and found some Mist in a cave somewhere... we were all dying out, you see..."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked." Zidane said. He scratched his head, embarrassed.  
  
Suddenly they heard screaming. Mr. 209 ran towards them. "You've gotta see this..." he gasped.  
  
"What?" asked Vivi.  
  
"Kuja's back- in the cemetery... says he is –puff, pant- looking for- the Angels Of Death."  
  
Vivi looked at Zidane. "Does he mean you and Mikoto? We'd better get over there!" Vivi ran off towards the cemetery.  
  
"Damn!" Zidane thought and ran after Vivi. when he entered the cemetery he saw Kuja kneeling on the ground in front of Mr. 209. "What are you up to now? I am no Angel of Death as I told you several years ago. And Mikoto neither."  
  
Mikoto ran in the direction in which the voices came from. She found Zidane, Vivi and Kuja inside the cemetery. She walked over to Zidane and placed herself beside Zidane. "What are you doing here Kuja?" she said quietly. She was so glad to see Zidane, but couldn't figure why Kuja was there too.  
  
Kuja smiled. "I tried to deny... my birth... long ago. I found... it came back to haunt me... in the end..." he stopped, and paused for breath. He lifted his head, and Zidane saw he was badly wounded. "After you left... the Iifa Tree, Zidane... I had time to... think. I had... all the time... in the world..." he tried to pull himself up into a sitting position. "I... thought... about what you said... to me... how no life was useless... and I decided to fight. To fight... for my life... as you had done... so many times..." He looked up into Zidane's eyes. Genome meeting Genome. "And I came back."  
  
A/N: Yay! Kujaku is back! And surrounded by his black mages? How will they react? Will they let him stay, or will they blast him into a very short part in this story? Will Zidane totally freak out? Will Mikoto ever get a different hairdo to Zidane? Read And Review people!  
  
Credit goes to Rikke for helping to write the parts for Zidane and Mikoto. 


	2. 2 Broken Souls

A/N: Well, this is a sort of filler. 'So early on?' I hear you cry. Well, this does reveal some important parts (although they don't seem important right now) and make some things clear. Also, at the end of this, we will have seen somewhere other than the Black Mage Village! You'll find out where... once you've finished reading this chapter!  
  
***  
  
"Whoa! Can you stand?" Zidane said and went to support Kuja. "I think you might need some help with your wounds. Then we can talk... " Zidane gripped Kuja's arm and started walking to a house. Inside Kuja laid down and Zidane started to talk. "I think you are hiding something from me, and I don't know your intentions. Yet it's not in my nature to leave a relative in times of need. Why are you here? You could have gone to any place you desired, yet you chose the Black Mage Village, when I was here? A coincidence or is this well planned?"  
  
Mikoto has followed Zidane and Kuja to the house, and was now watching the two former archenemies. Kuja was looking extremely ill, and Zidane was very worried, even though Kuja was not exactly his best friend. "Can I get you two something?" She asked and wanted to get out of the way, so the two of them could talk.  
  
Kuja closed his eyes. "I knew you'd be here... or at least, my black mages would... I just... needed to find someone..."  
  
"They are not 'your' Black Mages. They are independent individuals. God, didn't I kick your butt hard enough the last round?" Zidane laughed, but then turned serious again. "Mr. 209 said you were looking for the Angel Of Death, and that's me. Why?"  
  
Kuja's blue eyes became round and sad. "I thought... I was just looking for solace... and perhaps a little forgiveness..."  
  
"I'm sorry." Zidane said. "I shouldn't have been aggressive with you. To forgive it's not up to me, but to the people you hurt. Mikoto and I are willing to forgive, as long as you are willing to do something for us in return. Nothing in particular, but we would do the same for you. How about coming to Alexandria with me when you have recovered?" Zidane asked. Then he called. "Mikoto! Get in here!"  
  
Mikoto went inside and waited for Zidane to say something.  
  
"Mikoto? Would you travel with me to Alexandria? Maybe Kuja is coming too." Zidane said.  
  
"Very... very well." Kuja said, brushing back his silver hair from his face. He stood up, a little shakily. "When do we leave?"  
  
"Whoa!" Zidane said and pushed Kuja back down. "We're going nowhere until you recovered. But we'll leave as soon as you are recovered."  
  
Mikoto scratched her arm. "I want to come, Zidane. I want to see where you live."  
  
Kuja closed his eyes, breathing deeply.  
  
Vivi adjusted his hat. "Um... Zidane?" he asked timidly. "Could I bring the kids? They'd like to see Alexandria."  
  
"Yeah, the more the merrier, or whatever they say. Of course they can come. I mean, the castle is big enough for all of us." Zidane said and went to Mikoto. "Do you think that you will be able to handle this?"  
  
Mikoto looked at Zidane, a bit angry. "How old do you think I am? Four? Of course I can handle this."  
  
Zidane waved his arms in defensively and said. "Sorry, I'm just concerned for my little sister."  
  
"I'll be fine, you'll see." Mikoto turned to Kuja. "All we have to do now is to wait for you to recover."  
  
Vivi walked towards the door. "Um... I'll go to see what medicines we have..."  
  
"Good, now that's settled, then I'll take a closer look around the village. Mikoto, will you look after him for awhile?" Zidane pointed at Kuja. Then he went after Vivi.  
  
Mikoto kicked the ground. "There he goes again, he is so bossy." She was a bit angry. "Why doesn't he do it himself? Not that I don't want to watch you." she added and looked at Kuja, "But he is so annoying when he does that. He keeps treating me like a child."  
  
"I'm relieved." Kuja admitted. "I glad... I made it here... if our positions had been reversed... I might not have dome the same..."  
  
Mikoto looked at Kuja. "Well, you know Zidane. He has this enormous energy and sympathy for everyone. Even you, who tried to kill him several times. I don't know how he can manage it. If that were me, I don't think I would be able to do the same. I don't blame you Kuja, really. I haven't been through the same as Zidane has." Mikoto walked over to the door. "Now, you just have to relax, and if you need anything, then call." she said and walked out the door.  
  
***  
  
Zidane caught up with Vivi in the medicine shop. He was looking at various Potions.  
  
"Zidane?" he asked. "Do you think... what about... Kuja? Isn't he..."  
  
Zidane shook his head. "I don't know. I want to believe he changed. I want him to get the chance to show me, to show us all. He is like a part of me."  
  
Vivi nods, clutching a motley bundle of bottles of various shapes, sizes and colours. He returns to the hut with Kuja. "Um... are you okay?"  
  
Kuja looked up into Vivi's eyes. "Fine." he mutters.  
  
Vivi dumped the bottles on the bed. "You'll need to take some of these." he said. "This one once, this one five times today, this one three times tomorrow..."  
  
Kuja waved Vivi's endless explanations aside. "I know what to do." Vivi gets up and watches Kuja as he sorts through the potions. He drinks a few in one go, screwing up his face in disgust. "Not exactly the sweetest mixtures in Gaia, are they?" he asked.  
  
***  
  
Zidane were standing in the cemetery. Mikoto came to him. "Are you okay?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know." he answered. "It's like a dream."  
  
"What is?" Mikoto asked.  
  
"My life." He responded and sighed. "I keep trying to settle down but I can't. I'm travelling from place to place, yet I know my heart is with Dagger in Alexandria. I can't seem to find any peace. I think that's why I am taking Kuja back with me, to see if that's what I need to get peace in my heart."  
  
***  
  
Kuja breathed deeply. "Thank you, mage."  
  
"My name is Vivi." Vivi replied.  
  
"...Vivi? Don't the rest have numbers?"  
  
"...Well, yes. But my grandpa called me Vivi."  
  
"But..."  
  
"Not my real grandpa." Vivi added hurriedly. "He adopted me... when I fell out of the Invincible."  
  
"I am sorry." Kuja replied.  
  
***  
  
At the Inn, Zidane was lying in bed. Many thoughts ran through his head. he yawned, stretched and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm insane." he said to himself, and shortly after, he fell asleep.  
  
"Zidane?" Mikoto asked. When she saw that he was asleep, she turned around. She started to walk out, but stopped as she reached the door. "Goodnight." she said and went outside.  
  
***  
  
"Freya!" Fratley woke with a start. He looked around the bedroom to find no sign of his  
  
love.  
  
"Freya?"  
  
Lifting his blade from it's resting place on the wall, the dragon knight crept through a high arch doorway. His senses became keener, and as he crested the threshold, something strange happened.  
  
Suddenly, inside his mind Fratley saw things, smelt and heard things. He did not know what they were, but he knew there was a threat, and burning into his rising subconscious was the image of a man in a white cloak.  
  
In a furious whirl he began attacking everything in sight, leaving nothing standing, except half a table.  
  
"Fratley!" Was it in his mind or the real world?  
  
"Fratley! Stop!"  
  
As immediately as he had slipped into his dream- world, Fratley snapped back out. He surveyed the room around him. Everything was totally devastated, ravaged from ceiling to floor. Freya stood in front of him, shocked. He dropped to his knees, silent. Tears fell to the floor like the rains outside, making a pool, reflecting Fratley's own guilty face.  
  
"I'm sick, Freya. It's not safe. Not for you or for me, but more importantly, it's not fair. Here - take this away from me." He offered up his spear. "All it does anymore is torment us both."  
  
He rose to his feet and walked to the door.  
  
"Where are you going, my love?"  
  
"Fratley Crescent is a broken man, Freya. I must rebuild him."  
  
"Not another quest. How close did we come to losing each other before?"  
  
"No more quests. I'm going to do something that has been waiting for a long time. I love you, Freya Crescent. Never forget that."  
  
***  
  
A/N: Well, hope you enjoyed this. In the next chapter, we're finally going to get moving (off to Alexandria!) Also, soon, the whole gang will get together. Well... almost everyone... R and R people! (That's Read and Review for those of you not in the internet writing circles)  
  
Credit has to go to Rikke (Zidane and Mikoto) and Prophetic Minion (Freya and Fratley) for their help in writing some parts. 


	3. 3 Return To The Homeland

A/N: I think this is the longest chapter yet... just over five pages. But a lot happens in it! We go all the way to Alexandria and it turns out Kuja hears some things he's not supposed to... erk! What will happen? Well, I'd need to repeat it too tell you, so you may as well just read it!  
  
***  
  
Some days later  
  
Zidane was on his way to the house where Kuja was staying. As he entered the door, he watched Kuja. "How are you feeling?" he asked.  
  
Kuja stood up. "Good enough." A strange fire burned in his eyes that Zidane had not seen before.  
  
Zidane watched Kuja's face. "You look... different somehow... Never mind, we're leaving as soon as you are ready. Mikoto is waiting." he said.  
  
Kuja left the hut with Zidane and Mikoto. Just outside the village was the Hilda Garde 3. Vivi and his children were waiting outside. Kuja knelt down beside Tuesday and stared into her eyes, long and hard. When he stood up, all he said was, "These... are different... not mine... more like..." He frowned slightly, and boarded the ship.  
  
"Daddy?" Tuesday said in her small voice, "That man scares me."  
  
Vivi patted her on the head. "Don't worry. You'll probably not see him much after the flight. He's not going to hurt you." Then he ushered them all gently onto the ship, into the bridge, where he found Regent Cid with Eiko, who had her hands on her hips and was glaring angrily at something... Vivi followed her line of sight and found Kuja, who was frowning, as if trying to remember something. Then it clicked. "You are Cid."  
  
"What on Gaia are you doing here?" he said angrily, taking a step forward.  
  
Zidane rushed in with Mikoto behind him, skidded to a stop and sized up the situation at a glance. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." he said. "Cid, Eiko, he's with me. I'll explain later." he gave Cid a meaningful glance which added: When he's not listening.  
  
Cid nodded, but still looked at Kuja suspiciously. "Very well." he said, "I will trust your judgement." He turned to Erin. "Set a course for Alexandria!"  
  
*** In Alexandria castle, Queen Garnet Til Alexandros XVII was pacing her room with Lady Beatrix standing by the door.  
  
"You miss him, don't you?"  
  
"Of course I miss him." Garnet replied. "Every time he leaves, I start to wonder... what is he doing? Where is he going? When will he be coming back?"  
  
"That is only natural."  
  
"Perhaps, but..."  
  
An Alexandrian soldier ran in and saluted. "Your Majesty, the Hilda Garde 3 has arrived!"  
  
He saluted again and left. Garnet and Beatrix ran down to the docks to see Eiko rush out of the ship, jumping with excitement.  
  
"Garnet! I haven't seen you for so long!"  
  
Garnet smiled. "Likewise, Eiko." They shared a sisterly smile.  
  
Regent Cid followed Eiko at a more sedate pace. "Good to see you so well."  
  
Garnet bowed. "Welcome, uncle."  
  
Behind Cid came Mikoto, looking around her at a strange new place, so full of life and so busy. She shook hands with Garnet. "Alexandria is very beautiful."  
  
Garnet did not have time to greet Mikoto, however, as she was much more preoccupied with the blur rushing out of the ship...  
  
"Zidane!"  
  
Zidane hugged Garnet. "I've missed you a lot." he said, with a grin.  
  
Garnet spotted someone she hadn't seen before, though something about him was surely familiar... he obviously did not want to be noticed. Garnet hadn't seen him leave the ship, and he covered his face with the hood of his white cloak.  
  
"Who is your new friend, Zidane?"  
  
"I'll explain later." said Zidane out of the corner of his mouth.  
  
"But-"  
  
"Come on! Mikoto hasn't seen the castle properly yet!"  
  
Garnet shook her head and followed Zidane, who ran up to the conference room. "Listen, we need to call a really urgent meeting." he said. "Who's in town?"  
  
"Me, Eiko, Lani, Beatrix, Steiner, Vivi and you." she said. "Is something wrong? I don't-"  
  
"Call them all up here. Can we send a message to Freya and Fratley very urgently? They'll be in Burmecia. God knows where Quina and Amarant are- we should be okay without them. Oh, and get Cid and Mikoto too."  
  
A day later, the group were all assembled in the conference room.  
  
Zidane waited until everyone was seated, then began. "Right. We'll start without Freya and Fratley. I want you to hear me out on this one. Wait till I've finished. It's gonna sound pretty outrageous..."  
  
Zidane told them how Kuja had arrived in the Black Mage Village, told them the entire story. When he had finished, they were all shocked.  
  
"But- Zidane..."  
  
"I can't believe you..."  
  
Zidane held up his hands. "Look, I know it sounds crazy, but I really think he wants to change."  
  
Steiner shook his fist at Zidane. "You brought that evil, twisted sorcerer under our roof? Are you out of your mind? What if this was just a plan to get into the city, near the Queen-"  
  
Zidane cut him off. "Steiner." he said. "I think if that was his plan, he'd have done it by now. None of you were there in the Iifa Tree. I think he finally realised what he'd done. He's my brother."  
  
"He's your brother?" Eiko screeched. "That doesn't mean anything, Zidane! Kuja killed so many people... destroyed so many towns... there's only so far people can go before they can't be forgiven!"  
  
"Blood is thicker than water." said Zidane stubbornly.  
  
"Zidane..." Beatrix shook her head. "Letting Kuja into the castle isn't a good idea. What if he isn't telling the truth? What if he wounded himself so you would take pity on him? After all, if he survived the Iifa Tree's collapse..."  
  
"Why isn't he dead?" Garnet asked quietly. All heads turned to look at her. "Garland said... he only had a limited lifespan... just like the black mages..." She looked up at the faces around her. "Surely that time has run out?"  
  
"Yes," said Zidane, thoughtfully. "It has. But surely that doesn't matter? He's alive, and I can't kick a man when he's down."  
  
"You're making a grave mistake!" said Steiner.  
  
"I think..." said Beatrix slowly, "we should let him stay, but under strict conditions. After all, none of us were there in the Iifa Tree. And what was said there is between Zidane and Kuja. He shouldn't be allowed to leave the castle. Maybe we should even confine him to just one floor, or just one room. He should be under strict probation, for at least a few months. Any slight signs that he is his evil self, and he's out."  
  
"Fine with me." Zidane said, slightly relieved someone was prepared to agree with him.  
  
Garnet looked to Zidane pleadingly. "Zidane... how can we live with this man? He... he killed my mother, Zidane. He has done... so many.. terrible things."  
  
"I know it's gonna be hard." Zidane agreed. "But... can't we forgive? He's really torn up about this. I doubt the last thing we wanted to do was come crawling back to us... to see all those mages whom he despised so much... but I guess he thought we were his only chance. He was really on his last legs when he reached the Black Mage Village. I mean, look, he's even come to Alexandria for me. I don't doubt most people in this city would want to kill him if they got the chance. He's risking that to be here for me."  
  
"There's a lot to ask forgiveness for, and a lot of people to forgive him."  
  
"I know." Zidane said. "But surely time heals all wounds... just give him a chance..."  
  
"On your own head so be it, Zidane." Freya spoke up. "I would not trust or forgive Kuja as readily as you. Maybe that is a good thing; maybe not. But the first sign of trouble and I don't think I would hesitate to kill him."  
  
"Fair enough." came a familiar voice. They all turned to see Kuja sat in a corner, with his hood swept back.  
  
"How did you get in here?" Steiner demanded. Kuja looked up at him.  
  
"You didn't know I was here?"  
  
"What-"  
  
"I came in through the door, like the rest of you. I didn't realise I wasn't supposed to be here. I guess you're less observant than you'd like."  
  
"I thought-"  
  
"Never mind." Kuja swept towards the door.  
  
"Wait, Kuja!" called Zidane. Kuja turned. "Maybe you should stay."  
  
Kuja looked around at Freya, Garnet, Eiko, Steiner, Beatrix, Lani, Cid, Mikoto and Vivi. All of them had good reason to kill him. "I don't think I'm wanted here. After all, I'm just an evil, twisted sorcerer."  
  
As he left, he called back: "Don't worry, I'll stay inside the castle."  
  
Zidane scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Holy Bahamut, I can't believe no- one noticed him. Well, anyway, I think we've cleared everything up. Except- Freya- where's Fratley?"  
  
Freya looked down. "He has left."  
  
Everyone exclaimed in shock.  
  
"What? Not again, Freya?"  
  
"He has not been the same. I have noticed he has been depressed. He has often had sudden fits of rage, and when he knows nothing about him, yet attacks everything. Before he left, he gave me his spear and told my that Fratley was a broken man, and he was setting out to rebuild him."  
  
Freya laid the spear on the table, almost reverently. "His soul is in great turmoil."  
  
His soul...  
  
"... make mindless beings from the dregs of souls!"  
  
"...Trance enhances the powers of the soul..."  
  
"I'm gonna die just like the black mages I so despise!"  
  
Zidane suddenly realised. "Guys... what about Kuja's soul?"  
  
Steiner looked at him, puzzled. "Whatever do you mean?"  
  
"Well... you know that Kuja's body was just a vessel for the soul, right? Garland needed to build something capable of containing a soul. The Invincible trapped the souls for him, right? So a soul... a soul doesn't die. It just goes through Gaia's natural cycle. What if... what if Garland did his job too well? Kuja was a prototype, right? The first attempt. What if Kuja's soul is trapped inside his body?"  
  
Freya's eyes widened. "Such an effect could have disastrous consequences!"  
  
Zidane nodded. "Exactly. What if the soul is the only thing keeping Kuja alive? Garland said he only had a year or so, right? There are limits on his life... but what if Garland was wrong?"  
  
Beatrix understood. "You mean..."  
  
"Kuja's soul is caught inside a dead body."  
  
***  
  
A/N: *dramatic music* Oh no! Kujaku!!! He heard all that conversation about how Freya wouldn't mind killing him, and how they hate him. Oh, villany is a lonely business... Oh yeah, for those of you who don't know, A/N means Author's Note. As if you hadn't already worked that out. R'n'R people! 


	4. 4 Discovery

She was a tall girl, who looked older than she was, which was nineteen. She had small silver glasses and was dressed quite elegantly, if a little strangely. Her long auburn hair was streaked with black and fastened at the back with a butterfly clip. She was sat in the library, bored as usual. Then she saw someone out of the corner of her eye.  
  
He entered in the library, amongst the Alexandrian scholars, who eyed him warily. He had long silver hair adorned with three silver feathers. He wore purple and gold armour, with long white bell sleeves, rippling gently. He looked around at the high ceiling, the intricate staircase, and the rows upon rows of books. After a while of wandering around astonished, he arrived at a small bookshelf in the corner. He looked at the notice. It said 'Books 730- 755- the Great War'. Pulling out a heavy tome, he laid it down on the table and began to read. Intrigued, she walked up to him, peering over his shoulder at his book.  
  
"Hi."  
  
The man snapped out of his reverie and looked up. "Hello."  
  
"You love this place too, huh?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I saw the way you looked around when you came in, like this place was a godsend. I guess you're either under a lot of stress at the moment or you've never seen a library before."  
  
"Er-"  
  
"Sorry, I've no right to pry. I'm Demeyra." She held out her hand. The man shook it.  
  
"I'm- Malach." he said.  
  
Demeyra smiled. "So- what are you doing here? Not everyone can get into the castle."  
  
"Oh- I'm a friend of Zidane Tribal."  
  
"Wow! Really? I'm an apprentice of one of the scholars. He's a bit boring, but I'm learning a lot."  
  
"What are you studying?"  
  
"Ancient Civilizations. It's a lot more interesting than it sounds. At the moment I'm researching a planet that could have existed next to ours, but it was recently destroyed. It's fascinating."  
  
Malach sat back in his chair, frowning. "Indeed."  
  
"There's actual evidence that they may have created their own inhabitants."  
  
He stood up in shock. "What?"  
  
Demeyra took a step back, alarmed. Now look what you've done, you stupid idiot...  
  
She continued hesitantly. "Um... yes. They found out how to make bodies and then they infused souls into them..."  
  
Malach gripped her by the shoulders, shaking her. "What was the name of this planet?" he shouted. A scholar noticed what was happening and hurried out of the room.  
  
"T- terra." Demeyra stuttered.  
  
Malach threw her across the room into the wall. "Shut up!" he screamed. Alexandrian soldiers swarmed in and grabbed Malach. He was dragged from the room. Demeyra was left by the wall, sobbing bitterly.  
  
***  
  
An Alexandrian soldier burst into the conference suite and saluted. "Lady Beatrix!" he announced. "We have arrested a man who was causing a disturbance in the library. He is awaiting questioning. There was also a woman in the library, seems very distraught. I brought her down to the kit rooms."  
  
Beatrix nodded. "I'll be right down." She turned to Zidane. "Have we finished then? I have to go."  
  
Zidane nodded. "Go on. See ya."  
  
Beatrix dutifully saluted and left with the soldier. The others started talking worriedly about Fratley.  
  
"Where might he have gone?"  
  
"You don't think he might... do anything stupid, do you?"  
  
"Shh! Freya will hear you!"  
  
Suddenly, Beatrix flung the doors open. "Zidane." She gasped. "You've got to see this."  
  
Zidane, who was wondering if the hinges could take any more strain, ran after Beatrix, who led him down to the dungeons in the pit of the castle. Rarely used, they had fallen into a state of disrepair. The guttered candles left pits of ash in their holders. The metal bars on the doors and windows were covered in rust. Zidane wrinkled his nose. "Lovely décor."  
  
Beatrix beckoned him to a window in one of the cell doors. "Look!"  
  
Zidane peered through the window and his eyes widened. "Kuja!"  
  
Kuja sat, as he had in the conference room, propped against the wall. But this time, his head was turned away.  
  
Like he's crying...  
  
Zidane hastily unlocked the door and rushed to his brother. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. "What the hell happened, Kuja?" he asked angrily.  
  
A/N: Okay, so it was a short chapter. But a very important and new character has been revealed... Demeyra! I gave her that name for a reason. For those of you that are confused, Kuja doesn't want anyone to recognise him, so he gave himself a false name, Malach. There's a reason for that name, too... but you're gonna have to wait to find out! This is gonna get started soon... I swear! Something exciting's gonna happen! But first, we need to get all the characters together, and stuff. Soon though! 


	5. 5 Of A Small Black Box

A/N: Okay, this chapter should introduce the last main character and get everything started. Unless I get any more ideas along the way... anyway, after this we should get movin' people! Oh and thanks v. much to Prexistence! My first ever comment on this story! I swear as soon as I get the time I will check out your work. Spread the word...  
  
***  
  
Phiran was a tall young man, but different from most in many ways. The most obvious were the mottled green scales, almost like dragon skin, covering half of his face, and the huge black claws which had replaced his right hand. Apart from that, however, he had brown hair which got in his eyes and a leather coat that used to belong to an old friend of his. His dark clothes made a startling contrast to the silver and red of the ship's interior. He cast a long shadow over the wall behind him.  
  
Phiran stood at the bridge of his ship, the Redwing. In front of him he saw the mountain ranges of the Mist Continent. Of course, there was no longer any mist. Not since the Iifa Tree was destroyed...  
  
He was near now. Phiran was sure of it. After so long... so much fruitless searching... he was finally close. He couldn't be travelling fast. The Redwing would soon catch up with him. And then... he would have his revenge.  
  
Phiran drew his weapon, what appeared to be an ordinary hardwood staff. The words Swift Inferno were carved into the side, in red lettering. He set it down on the desk in front of him, along with the back- strap that kept in place. "You have served me well, friend." he said, "but it is time to return to where you belong." He turned to a guard at the door behind him. "Take these... and burn them."  
  
"Burn them, sir?" the young soldier asked, surprised.  
  
"Yes, you fool!" Phiran threw the objects at him, catching the man on the head. "Take them out of my sight- and bring in Kerne."  
  
The man picked up the stave and belt and hastily left the room. A young woman entered, dressed in a low- cut strapless top that showed her midriff, and a very short skirt. Her blonde hair cascaded down her back, and her blue eyes sported eyelashes the size of her little finger. Phiran sighed. "Kerne, do you have the item we discussed?"  
  
Kerne giggled. "You don't beat about the bush, do ya? Maybe you should relax a bit." she said, coming close. "Maybe," she whispered, "you need-"  
  
"Kerne!" Phiran said sharply, withdrawing up to the desk. "I have no interest in whatever perverted acts you wish to sell. Just hand over the weapon!"  
  
Kerne giggled again. "If that's what you want..." She reached down into her top and pulled out a small black box. She tossed it to Phiran, who caught it, trying not to wince at the thought of where it had been.  
  
Phiran gazed at the black box, turning it in his hands. A small red light winked at him rapidly. There were several buttons, but it all looked so simple. Its appearance could never betray the true horror locked inside. Phian was so absorbed in the box that when he looked up, he was shocked to find that Kerne had crept up on him and was now pressing herself against him.  
  
"Now, are you sure there's nothing else you want?" she said huskily, fluttering her long eyelashes.  
  
"No, thank you." Phian said, trying to squirm out from under her.  
  
More vacuous titters from Kerne. "You know you can't resist me..." she breathed. "I'm all you want..."  
  
"Really, that's enough!" Phiran blasted her against the wall with a Firaga. "I don't like to attack a woman, especially an ally, but you leave me no choice."  
  
Kerne picked herself up and flounced out of the room with as much dignity as she could manage. Phiran shook his head. She'd sulk for days now. He directed his attention back towards the black box. Here, in this simple box, was the power he needed to exact his revenge...  
  
***  
  
Kuja gazed at Zidane with huge eyes. "What do... the people of Gaia... what did you tell them...?"  
  
Suddenly Zidane understood. "Kuja... what could we do? We had to explain our disappearance and the portal over the Iifa Tree somehow...We told them about Terra, not everything, but that it had been destroyed. What- what happened?"  
  
"The woman... Demeyra... she was researching... she knew everything... the Genomes, the infusion process..."  
  
"What woman?" Zidane turned his head. Outside, Beatrix was sat at a table with a young woman, probably about twenty- one. "Kuja... she probably won't want to see you and all..."  
  
"Kuja put a hand to his head. "I'll stay here."  
  
Satisfied, Zidane left the cell door unlocked and went to sit with the woman. "What happened?"  
  
"That's what I've been asking." Beatrix said. "Apparently, they met in the library. When Demeyra mentioned Terra apparently he went berserk and threw her into a wall. She's not too bad, could have been much worse. Just a few cuts and bruises."  
  
Zidane nodded. "Yeah, but we should probably take her up to-"  
  
"He knows something, doesn't he?"  
  
Zidane turned to see Demeyra speaking. "You all do. You know about Terra."  
  
"Miss- er..."  
  
"Robren."  
  
"Miss Robren. Do you want to go up to the hospital? You might have internal bleeding or something."  
  
"I'm fine. I want to talk to Malach."  
  
"Malach?"  
  
"Malach. You know, the guy with the feathers? Noticed you forgot to lock him up. He's not safe, you know. But he might just have some information about Terra."  
  
Beatrix, experienced in these matters, realised what must have happened. "Kuja used a false name."  
  
Zidane shrugged. "Makes sense, I guess. Not likely, but if someone recognised the name..."  
  
"Kuja?" Demeyra looked between them, puzzled. "Who's Kuja?"  
  
"Kuja is Malach." Zidane explained. "He used an alias- well, he has his reasons..."  
  
"He said he was a friend of yours. Is he?"  
  
"Kuja?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Zidane shifted uncomfortably in his seat and took a deep breath. "Kuja is my brother."  
  
***  
  
A/N: Wow, Kerne is an absolute slut, much worse than I'd planned. Ah well, anything for a bit of drama, I guess. As every character in this fic, Phiran and Kerne have those names for a reason! Oh, and did you notice the subtle connection I made with Phiran and someone else? It shall all become clear... later...  
  
Don't you hate it when you spend ages thinking of something, developing a character or a plot, then you realise it is almost exactly the same as something else? That has happened to me a million times whilst I was creating Phiran. When I drew him, he kept looking like Irvine from FFVIII, and Kai from Corbenic. But I finally put some originality into him and he just took on a life of his own. Took some bloody time, though... oh, and the differences in his appearance will become VERY IMPORTANT later, provided my characters don't suddenly take on a life of their own and tell me to do something other than what I've planned. 


	6. 6 Breaking The Threads

A/N: I still have only one faithful reviewer! Thanks, Prexistence! If there's anyone out there reading but not reviewing, WHY? I don't know you've read if you don't review! Well, I'll carry on with this fic, even if there is only one person (beside myself) who wants it. Sorry about the amount of time it took to get this out, but my computer had a virus.  
  
Demeyra blinked. "How can you be brothers? You look nothing like each other."  
  
Zidane shrugged. "We're not... ordinary brothers."  
  
"Why can't you give me a straight answer?" Demeyra cried, rising to her feet. "What's going on?"  
  
"There isn't a straight answer!" Zidane shouted. "Don't you realise some things are private?"  
  
"You have important information about Terra!" shrieked Demeyra. "That feathered freak tried to kill me! Don't I deserve to know?"  
  
"You don't want to know." answered Kuja, before Zidane could reply. He was stood leaning against the door frame, all traces of tears gone. "You shall have to be satisfied with that."  
  
Demeyra's eyes widened with fear. "You're- you're out of your mind. I don't have to listen to this." She backed out of the doorway and ran out of sight. Kuja sat down heavily. "I'm sorry, Zidane."  
  
"He WHAT?!" Garnet cried. "I cannot believe this! We lose sight of him for a few minutes- a few minutes, Zidane- and look what happens! He's not safe!"  
  
Zidane had relayed the afternoon's events to Garnet, and the reaction was pretty much as he had expected, only much scarier.  
  
"He's got to go, Zidane. Any sign of evil, remember? I want him out!"  
  
"Garnet..."  
  
"Don't try to plead, Zidane. Don't make excuses for him. Just get him out."  
  
"Where else would he go?"  
  
"The Black Mage Village? I don't know, and I don't care! If you won't get rid of him, Zidane, I will! I shan't have him under this roof a minute longer!"  
  
"Garnet..."  
  
Garnet left the room and spoke to one of the guards waiting by the door. "Inform Lady Beatrix that... that the newcomer to this castle is to be removed. Immediately. This message is of the utmost urgency. Do you understand me?"  
  
"Yes ma'am!" The soldier saluted, then ran off to deliver the message.  
  
"He's my brother, Garnet!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Zidane." Garnet turned to face her fiancé. "But you can't be held responsible for him. He's evil. But you can't do anything about him."  
  
Beatrix paled at the message. "The newcomer... is to be removed?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am! Orders from the Queen, ma'am!"  
  
Beatrix dismissed the soldier. "Kuja..."  
  
Kuja was alone in his room. The window was open, and he sat in his chair, gazing outside. A flock of doves flitted past. They don't have to worry about being alone... about what will happen if I am thrown out of the palace...  
  
Suddenly, a loud banging came on the door. "Open this door immediately!" shouted a voice from the other side.  
  
"Who is this?" Kuja asked warily.  
  
"We are Pluto Knights! Open this door!"  
  
Kuja took the key off the table and unlocked the door with a smooth click. It burst open, and three Pluto knights crashed into the room, seizing Kuja's unresisting arms. "We are to remove you from the palace on Her Majesty the Queen's orders." said one of the knights.  
  
"I know." said Kuja.  
  
The knight spluttered. "Well- er- right. Come on." Motioning for the other knights to follow him, they escorted Kuja to the city. "Don't think about coming back, either." They snorted as they locked the gate behind them. As they sailed off on the boat which transported people in and out of the palace, Kuja sank to his knees.  
  
I am alone in a town of people that would kill me if they knew who I was.  
  
Shiva help me...  
  
A/N: Oh, Kuja!!!!!!!! This took quite some thinking of, though it seems quite an obvious thing to happen. I am very depressed at the moment and I wrote this poem, as I often do when depressed. It's about Garnet's feelings towards Kuja, one of the most interesting relationships in the game!  
  
Poor Little Rich Girl  
  
You took my past.  
  
You took my people. You took my home. You took what I truly loved.  
  
So why do I feel In the deepest part of my heart In the darkest regions of my soul In the most secret place of my core That you need a second chance?  
  
You tried to kill me and my love. You left me alone. You made me change. You took everything I held to as truth.  
  
So what is it That tells me All you need is love?  
  
People around sharpen their swords Ready to hold them against your throat And see that first drop of life's blood slide down your neck Are they feeling how I am feeling?  
  
Deep down I think you loved me. I was your canary. Your songbird; your dove. Was all you said true? Or was I just another heart to win over? Just another step towards your selfish goal? Just another person to deceive?  
  
The connection that binds me to you The fragile soul that joins us Through blood and love Should I listen to him? Or to you? Or to my head? Or to my heart?  
  
So confused. So alone. Tangled in my own helplessness. Poor little rich girl. 


	7. 7 A Woman Named Cleo

A/N: Well, I got a few more comments for the last chapter. Thanks to itaki- chan, Prexistence, and Kidbuux (where did you get that name from?) I do like Garnet, Prexistence, but she doesn't like Kuja!  
  
I've had a lot of trouble with insanity lately. Our school is doing a Newspaper day deely where each class in my year has one day in which to make a broadsheet newspaper. And I am... sub- editor! I didn't want to be Editor. Too much responsibility, too much stress.  
  
I recently found a LOAD more sexy pics of a certain silver- haired angel... and a certain peroxide- blonde haired vampire... drools oh, I wish I could draw that well...  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
Kuja looked up through his tears, and saw a young woman in a green dress which perfectly set off her sparkling eyes. She had long auburn hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders as she peered down at him.  
  
"Not really."  
  
"You ought to go home. Don't sit out here in the middle of the street."  
  
Kuja snorted. "My home was destroyed years ago. That is, if I could ever call that place home."  
  
"What about a drink then? There's a mini- theatre near here."  
  
Kuja hauled himself up. "Very well."  
  
Kuja and the woman, whose name was Cleo Warner, sat together in the mini- theatre, watching Lord Avon's 'Thorn On A Rose' whilst drinking Hot Chocobos.  
  
"Don't you have anywhere to stay?"  
  
"Not yet," Kuja replied, "but I've only just arrived."  
  
"I've been looking for a new shop assistant. I'll give you a place to sleep if you'll help me. What do you say?"  
  
"Thank you very much, but I don't want to be any trouble."  
  
"No, really, it's okay. I have a spare bed for when my relatives visit. It'll be no trouble at all."  
  
"Well, if you insist..." Kuja held out his hand for Cleo to shake. "It's a deal, Miss Warner."  
  
"Call me Cleo."  
  
"Cleo."  
  
The next day, Kuja was woken early by Cleo's cheery voice.  
  
"Come on! Wake up!"  
  
Groggily, Kuja half- pulled himself out of bed, then realised he wasn't wearing anything and threw the covers back on. "Cleo!"  
  
Cleo giggled. "Don't worry, I've seen it all before. Your clothes are hung up in the wardrobe."  
  
Once Cleo had gone, Kuja got dressed and went downstairs to meet Cleo, who immediately presented him with a shopping list. "I need this stuff. The shops you should get them from are written beside, right? Next to that is the price. Don't let anyone rip you off." She handed him a heavy pouch. "That should cover it. Be back for ten, I'll need you here."  
  
"Right." said Kuja, staring at the list. There were at least forty items on the list. How was he supposed to buy them all from the correct shops before ten? Nevertheless, he said nothing of that, pulled his hood down, and left.  
  
Once he had gone, Cleo let out an exhausted sigh. This mission was going to be easier than she had thought. She probably hadn't needed this disguise. Kuja was going to have to learn not to be so trusting...  
  
Kuja returned with several heavy bags. "I think I got everything."  
  
"Fantastic." Cleo said disinterestedly. "Now, why don't you put those bags down and follow me?" she ran up the stairs.  
  
Kuja dropped the shopping in a corner and followed her curiously. "Cleo, what's this-"he stopped. Cleo was sat on the bed. She unbuttoned her heavy jacket. Underneath, Kuja could see that she had an incredible figure. She was so beautiful... he'd never seen anyone so beautiful. Her eyes were like gems, polished and sparkling... her hair flowed down her back in glorious auburn waves. "Cleo..."  
  
"Kiss me, Kuja." she said passionately.  
  
How could Kuja do anything else? She was so beautiful... so mesmerisingly beautiful... he leant forward and kissed her on the lips, desire flooding his body. He wanted nothing else but her... right now, that was all that mattered.  
  
Sir Fratley 'Irontail' was travelling through Gizamaluke's Grotto. He opened a door to find the great bell which was once rung everyday by the Grotto's inhabitants lying unused and dilapidated on the floor. A small moogle ran past. "Excuse me," Fratley said, "but why has the bell been taken down?"  
  
"Oh! Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh!" said the moogle. "You have Kupo Nut?"  
  
Fratley sighed and handed the nut to the moogle.  
  
"It fell down! The bell fell down! A long time ago! Yeah! Um, um, um, um, yeah! It fell down right on top of my husband! Kupo! Yeah! Um, yeah!"  
  
"Who are you?" Fratley said, smiling slightly at the creature's odd speech.  
  
"Oh- oh- oh, yeah! I'm Moguta!"  
  
"Oh, Atla's cousin."  
  
"Um, um, um, um, yeah! Atla's my cousin, kupo! Yeah!"  
  
"Is the passage still open from here to the plateau?"  
  
"Kupo! Yeah! But it's very dangerous, kupo!"  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Bye, kupo!"  
  
Sir Fratley climbed up the vines onto the plateau above. In the forest he was in, he was relatively safe. But when he ventured out onto the grasslands, there would be Grand Dragons, a much more dangerous quarry. But it didn't matter, because that was what Fratley wanted. He got through the forest quickly and soon saw a Grand Dragon. The dragon noticed him and cast Thundara. Fratley laughed, as his armour was specifically selected to fighting these beasts and their Thunder attacks and protected him well. He slashed mercilessly with his spear, making the dragon roar and lash out with his claws. Fratley grunted with pain, the beast's attack having caught him directly in the chest. Blood seeped through his clothes, but he stayed standing and managed to deliver a brutal gash to the beast's throat. The huge winged lizard swayed, and fell with a crash. Just to be sure, Fratley severed the neck and stole anything of value from the dragon.  
  
"Neatly done."  
  
Fratley spun around to see two tall, fair youths stood behind him, one with a strange- looking gun pointed directly at him.  
  
"Put your spear down. Keep your hands where I can see them." Said the youth with the gun.  
  
Fratley did as he was asked. "Who are you?" he said.  
  
"Never you mind."  
  
"Shut up and just fire the damn thing!" said the second youth.  
  
"Oh, right." said the first youth.  
  
He pulled the trigger.  
  
Fratley's world dissolved into black as he slumped to the ground...  
  
A/N: I'm listening to the Beatles, and they ROCK!!! sings I wanna be a paperback writer...  
  
Kuja: Be quiet!  
  
Jukka: I thought you liked my singing, Jude!  
  
Kuja: Yesterday I said that. This is now!  
  
Jukka: Yesterday... all my troubles seemed so far away...  
  
Kuja: BE QUIET!!!  
  
Jukka: meep. whispers She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah...  
  
Kuja: stabs Jukka  
  
Jukka: Help! I need somebody... 


	8. 8 Soul snatcher

Phiran stood at the bridge of the Redwing. Two fair youths entered and saluted.  
  
"Sir!"  
  
Phiran turned. "Do you have the soul?"  
  
"Yes, sir!" One of the youths held up a clear red capsule about the size of a man's fist, containing a fizzing liquid.  
  
Phiran took the capsule and emptied the contents into a large jar on his desk, quickly putting the lid back on. The liquid bubbled and hissed, and eventually became a hazy white gas, in which Fratley's face gradually formed.  
  
Phiran smiled. "Excellent!"  
  
The young men were confused. "Excuse me, sir, but what is it?"  
  
Phiran gazed into the jar. "That, my dear Flacsin, is your victim's soul." He turned. "What did you do with the body?"  
  
"Cian here put it in the cells, just like you said, sir." Flacsin said, turning to his partner.  
  
"Very good."  
  
"Sir..."  
  
Phiran snatched his gaze away from the jar and turned to Flacsin. "Yes?"  
  
"How did his soul- his soul, it was in his body, right- and now, it's not, yeah? So how did it get in there?" Flacsin pointed at the jar.  
  
Phiran sighed. Flacsin was the best gunner he'd ever met, but his ignorance was incredible. That was why Phiran had paired him up with Cian... now there was a kid with brains. Quiet, yes, and fairly talentless when it came to fighting, but he could think amazingly fast on his feet. "Flacsin... do you remember when you were sent to see Kerne? You asked her for something, yes?"  
  
Flacsin's brow creased. "Oh yeah, I remember. She was making a little black box with a big button on it."  
  
"Correct. That box contained a concentrated form of the technology used to power the Eye of the Invincible."  
  
"The eye which gathered souls for Garland?"  
  
"Yes. The box harnessed this technology and concentrated it into a small space. I then dismantled the box and combined the technology with the gun, allowing your gun to suck out souls from living bodies. The soul dissolves in the liquid in the red capsule attached to your gun, but once it comes into contact with air, it separates again, thus allowing me to contain souls and use the bodies for my own purposes."  
  
"What are your own purposes?" asked Cian.  
  
"Never you mind." snapped Phiran. "You are dismissed."  
  
The men bowed and left the room. 


	9. 9 Icons Of Self Indulgence

"You don't know how you've betrayed me  
  
And somehow you've got everybody fooled  
  
Without the mask where will you hide? Can't find yourself; lost in your lie I know the truth now I know who you are And I don't love you anymore."  
  
Evanescence, Everybody's Fool  
  
Kuja and Cleo were meant to be together, there could never be anything else. All he felt for her was a deep, gut- wrenching desire. He knew she felt the same way. Every day they were together. That was all that mattered.  
  
It was a wet summer night, and Kuja and Cleo were showing their passion for each other between the sheets of Cleo's bed. Kuja had never met anyone so vibrant; so colourful. He loved the way her hands moved when she talked; he loved the way her hair looked in the rain. He loved everything about her and everything she did.  
  
"Kuja," she breathed, "I've got something to show you."  
  
She got up and pulled on her cloak.  
  
"Where are we going?" asked Kuja, doing the same.  
  
"It's a secret." Cleo winked. "Follow me."  
  
She left the room and slid down the banister. Kuja chased after her, wondering what this new game was. Cleo opened the door and ran out into the rain. Kuja followed. Cleo ran through the deserted streets and entered the church. Kuja dashed after her. Cleo climbed the belltower and up onto the rooftops. Kuja climbed after her. Cleo skipped over the rooftops, easily jumping over the slippery gaps between houses. Kuja followed, increasingly more puzzled. Suddenly, Cleo turned and looked up at the sky.  
  
"This is the place."  
  
Kuja stopped and followed her eyeline. All he could see was clouds, pouring with rain. "Cleo-"Kuja was cut off by the sight of a huge red airship descending from the sky, cutting through the clouds like a knife through butter. On the outside deck stood a man, tall and imposing, unlike any Kuja had ever seen before. His face was twisted by dragon scales, and his right hand was replaced by huge red claws.  
  
"You don't remember me, do you, Kuja?" he shouted over the noise of the wind. "My name is Phiran. And I shall be your doom."  
  
Cleo giggled. "All this time you thought I was someone else." She said, climbing aboard the ship. "I made you love me, and you thought I loved you. You fell straight into our trap!" She stood beside Phiran and clapped her hands. It was if Kuja had been his on the head with a hammer. He blinked, and Kerne had transformed. Her hair became blonder and glossier. Her eyes turned bright blue, and she became taller. She laughed. "I am Kerne! Not Cleo!"  
  
"Kerne?" Kuja reeled from the shock. What had he done? He could remember nothing of the past three months. The last thing he could remember was being thrown out of the palace, and then... and then...  
  
Phiran blasted Kuja with a Firaga, catching him off- guard, and knocking him from the roof. The ship took off, and sailed into the distance. Kuja was left hanging from a balcony, badly hurt by the shock of Kerne's transformation and the Firaga. "Help me..." he croaked, hoping desperately someone would hear...  
  
Demeyra couldn't sleep. The rain was thudding on the roof, and where it had leaked, the rain dripped with a metallic clang into the pans that she had put under the holes. She sat in her bed, shifting and turning to try and get some sleep. Suddenly, she heard a huge bang, and a thud, as if someone had fallen off the roof. She leapt out of bed, pulled on her silk dressing gown and ran out to the balcony. The street was deserted. Where had the noise come from? Perhaps there was someone in the house... at that thought, Demeyra instinctively wanted a weapon. She reached round the corner and grabbed the first thing she could see- a three- legged stool. Suddenly, she heard a voice, barely louder than a whisper.  
  
"Help me." said the voice.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"P- please, help..." said the voice breathlessly.  
  
Demeyra noticed a hand clutching on the edge of her balcony. She looked over the edge. A man was hanging on to her balcony for dear life. His face was badly burnt and his hair was blackened and matted. His knuckles were white and he gasped with the effort of keeping himself above the ground.  
  
"Kuja!" she cried with shock. The man looked up, though it required a great amount of effort.  
  
"...Demeyra? Help..."  
  
"Why don't I just stamp on your hand and watch you fall to your death?" she snarled. "After what you did to me, you'd deserve it."  
  
"Please..." Kuja begged.  
  
Demeyra sighed. "For the love of Ifrit... why am I doing this?" She took Kuja's arm and hauled him onto the balcony, where he lay in a crumpled heap.  
  
"Are you all right? What the hell happened?"  
  
Kuja, on his hands and knees in the rain, coughed. Blood spattered down his cloak and on the floor of the balcony. Demeyra swore in a very unladylike way. "We need to get you inside. Get up."  
  
Kuja tried. But the shock of what had just happened was too much for his system. In the end, all he managed to do was give Demeyra his hand. Sighing, Demeyra took it and dragged him to the bed, where she did as best as she could to dry him off and treat his burns. She grunted in frustration. "Why, of all the rooftops you could have fallen from, you picked mine? And... Kuja, why don't you have anything on under this cloak?"  
  
Kuja groaned. "Demeyra..."  
  
"Alright, I won't pry." Demeyra snapped. "As soon as morning comes, you're going back to the castle, anyway."  
  
"I... I can't."  
  
"And why's that?"  
  
"I... I got thrown out of the palace."  
  
"Why?" Demeyra already knew, she just wanted him to spell it out.  
  
"For... for... what I did to you."  
  
"Your own brother threw you out of his house?"  
  
"...it's complicated."  
  
"No way." Demeyra put her hands on her hips. "If I'm going to look after you, you're going to have to give me answers."  
  
Kuja was silent for a long moment. Then he bowed his head. "That seems fair."  
  
A/N: sniff I've split up with my boyfriend, and I'm a bit upset. Not as much as he is, though... but I'm not going to lower the tone of this page by telling everyone what a lying sod he is. So, happy faces, everyone! Still listening to the Beatles... currently 'Can't Buy Me Love'. 


	10. 10 Broken Rose On The Floor

A/N: I have just found the most amazing Cosplay website ever! Funnily enough, it is called , and it has everything about Cosplay. Now, if only there was Cosplay conventions in Britain...  
  
"There's an apprehensive naked little trembling boy  
  
With his head in his hands There's an underestimated and impatient girl Raising her hand But it's easy not to So much easier not to."  
  
Alanis Morissette, Wake Up  
  
"Tell me, Kuja."  
  
Kuja licked his lips nervously. So much to say, so many bad memories, so much pain, so much blinding pain...  
  
"I was... born on Terra."  
  
Demeyra's eyes widened.  
  
"I was created there by... the last of the Terrans. His name was Garland. He created me as... a prototype for his master race which would eventually assimilate Gaia. I was created to bring death to Gaia, collecting souls for Garland so he could become more powerful. Whilst on Gaia, I was accepted into the court of Queen Brahne. Her husband had just died, and she needed someone to comfort her. As I did so, I twisted her mind towards war with Lindblum and Burmecia by showing her the power of eidolons..."  
  
As Kuja's sorry tale unraveled, Demeyra listened intently, interrupting less and less as she became more absorbed, until Kuja finished his story by relating to her what had happened on her roof. By the end, both Kuja and Demeyra had tears running down their cheeks. For Kuja, because of the painful memories he had to remember, and for Demeyra, for the immense evils Kuja had committed, and the huge burden of guilt he had to bear for every single one.  
  
"My brother... you killed him... when you attacked Alexandria?" she asked in disbelief after the story had finished.  
  
Kuja nodded helplessly, not trusting himself to speak.  
  
"Kuja..."  
  
Kuja screwed up his eyes. This is when I get hit...  
  
"I forgive you."  
  
Kuja fainted.  
  
Kuja opened his eyes. He was in an infirmary of some kind, although he had not been there before. Zidane, Mikoto, Doctor Tot and Demeyra stood over him with anxious looks on their faces.  
  
"Kuja..."  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"You're in the Alexandria Infirmary, Kuja. You're safe." answered Doctor Tot.  
  
"What about..."  
  
"I'm sorry, Kuja. I should never have thrown you out. You're my brother... and we need to catch up on a lot of lost time." said Zidane.  
  
Doctor Tot ambled away. "I shall leave you alone for a while. I'll be around if you need me."  
  
Zidane glanced anxiously at a clock on the wall. "Look, I'd love to stay, but I promised I'd meet Steiner and Beatrix to see what we're going to do next. You'd better come with me, Demeyra." Zidane and Demeyra left the room.  
  
Mikoto touched Kuja's arm. "It's good to have you back with us. Demeyra has told us what happened. If he realises you're alive, this Phiran character may come back for you, Kuja. We need to be able to protect each other."  
  
Zidane and Demeyra walked down to the river. "What made you forgive him, Demeyra?" Zidane asked. "I mean, for me, the choice was easy. We're brothers. But for you... what was it?"  
  
Demeyra thought for a while. "I guess... I guess it was because I would have done the same if I were in his shoes. I would have wreaked havoc in Gaia just like he did. That's why I forgave him."  
  
Zidane stopped in shock. Those words were just too familiar...  
  
Mikoto smiled. "Do you have any déjà vu right now?" she asked jokingly. "History seems to be repeating itself quite a lot lately. Look, I need to talk to someone. I'll be back soon, yeah?" With a wave, she left the room.  
  
As soon as the door closed behind her, there was a bang and a woman appeared by Kuja's bed.  
  
Kuja gasped, backing up against the bedpost. The woman had long green hair and vivid yellow eyes that shone with a light all of their own. Her image was faint, as if she was a hologram- or a hallucination.  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Don't worry," the woman smiled, "I'm here to help you. My name is Renne. However, I cannot stay long. There are powerful forces at work here. More powerful than I. More powerful than Phiran."  
  
"How-"  
  
"Kuja, listen."  
  
Kuja listened.  
  
"You have to remember. Remember what happened when you left Terra, Kuja."  
  
"I don't understand. Why do I have to remember that?"  
  
Renne looked behind her, as if anxious that someone was listening. "There is not much time. You must remember you past, or else..." Renne gasped. "No... don't come near me... don't touch me! Don't touch me with that thing!" she screamed. Kuja started. It took him several minutes to realise that she was not talking to him, but someone inside her head. "No! Kuja..." she sobbed, collapsing to her knees. Kuja was suddenly reminded of the princess upon discovering Lindblum had been attacked, and inhaled sharply. Renne lashed out, knocking over a vase of roses. Kuja moved towards her, but before he could do anything, Renne's image flickered, then was gone, and Kuja was left with only a pool of water on the floor and the thought that it might have all just been a figment of his imagination.  
  
A/N: This is definitely my favourite chapter so far. It's definitely the one I enjoyed writing most, even if it isn't very exciting and no- one else will probably like it. And I found the most absolute perfect quote from Alanis Morissette! Just look at it! It rocks! It fits this chapter like a glove! And I am listening to Hoobastank's latest album, The Reason, which also rocks. If you hadn't figured it out by now, I am a very musically orientated person. Music and maths- two universal languages. I know which one I prefer! 


	11. 11 Battle For Alexandria

"She just vanished?"  
  
"She was screaming and wailing like Bahamut himself. I don't think she knew what she was doing. She looked like a hologram of some kind, slightly translucent. Whoever she was talking to was probably with her real body."  
  
"What puzzles me," said Demeyra, "is why this person didn't want the message to be delivered in the first place."  
  
"Maybe we should concentrate on the actual message first." said Beatrix. "Do you know what exactly you are supposed to remember, Kuja?"  
  
Kuja shook his head. "It could be anything. And my mind is like a morning marsh- fog. Parts of my life I cannot remember at all, especially early on." Kuja shook his head again, but this time to clear it. "I recall only fragments of my childhood, and between leaving Terra and creating my first black mage..." Kuja massaged his temples with one hand. "Nothing."  
  
"It must be something from that time!" said Steiner, his brow furrowed.  
  
Zidane opened his mouth, possibly to say a sentence containing the words 'Sherlock', 'Shit', and 'No'. However, he wisely decided to keep this observation to himself.  
  
One of Beatrix's soldiers entered the meeting room and saluted. "Ma'am," she said, "The city is under attack!"  
  
"What?!" Beatrix and Garnet said together.  
  
"The city is being attacked by people in a red ship, ma'am." the soldier explained.  
  
Kuja's eyes widened. "Phiran had a red ship."  
  
Beatrix was quick in issuing orders. "Recall all the troops. Get them in the city, protecting the civilians. Get someone firing at the ship. Do not injure any civilians. Is this clear?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am!" the soldier saluted and left.  
  
"We need to get down there, see what's happening." said Freya. Fratley  
  
"I agree." Said Zidane. He turned to Garnet. "You stay here, in case anything happens."  
  
"They're my people!" Garnet flared. "It is my duty to protect them!"  
  
Under his fiancée's ferocious glare, Zidane wilted. "Fine. But stay with me, yeah?" He looked at Demeyra. "Are you coming?"  
  
Demeyra nodded. "I will try to be of use."  
  
Zidane smiled. "Kuja...?"  
  
He didn't need to finish the question. Kuja understood, and pulled the hood of his cloak firmly over his head, obscuring his face.  
  
Zidane smiled grimly. "Let's go and see what the hell this is all about."  
  
The city was in chaos. Screaming Alexandrians ran in all directions like headless chocobos. In the midst of the confusion, the group stood, waiting for the army that was attacking their town. Suddenly, Zidane saw a very tall, fair man throwing Firas at a group of small children. "Hey!" he shouted, but before he could make a move, Vivi had torched him with a Thundaga.  
  
Zidane laughed. "These guys are easy!"  
  
Without warning, dozens of tall, fair people swarmed the square.  
  
Zidane made a noise akin to a mouse getting squashed under the sole of a farmer's boot.  
  
"Meep."  
  
The group battled furiously through the mêlée, hacking and splicing at their assailants. However, the strange pale people just kept coming. There seemed no end to them. They surrounded the small group, offering no means of escape or reprieve. After a long continuous battle, the party began to tire.  
  
"I can't go on much longer, Zidane!" cried Eiko.  
  
Zidane looked at her worried, but was also aware that Garnet was almost collapsing on his shoulder. And without their healers, the group was doomed.  
  
"Try and hold on, Eiko! There can't be many more of them! You're doing fine!"  
  
Freya leapt down from the sky, landing neatly next to Eiko and managing to slash through the stomachs of several of the attackers in the process. Then she did something unexpectedly motherly. She picked the small Eiko up in her arms and lifted her onto her back. "Don't worry about fighting, Eiko," she whispered. "Just concentrate on healing the rest of us."  
  
Zidane flashed her a grateful smile.  
  
Next to Demeyra, Vivi flopped onto the floor from sheer exhaustion. "Zidane!" she called.  
  
"Just manage as best you can, Demeyra!" Zidane's voice came over the crowd. Zidane's eyes flickered towards Vivi, but he was busy fighting off two of the intruders who had attacked Garnet.  
  
Kuja was fighting like a demon. Flare Stars were sending bodies flying; even so, not even Kuja was making much of a dent in the seemingly infinite numbers of attackers.  
  
"Go, Kuja!" shouted Lani joyfully. This was what she enjoyed doing; fighting. She swung her axe like a scythe, cutting people down like wheat.  
  
Beatrix and Steiner were fighting back- to- back. Beatrix thrust Save The Queen into the heart of her opponent, whilst Steiner fought another. He parried and countered until his foe swung up his short sword. This was too much for Steiner's sword. It had battled too long, and too hard. It snapped.  
  
The crowd went silent as they watched the glinting steel fly through the air to clatter on the pavement. Beatrix quickly turned and defended her love, but Steiner himself was defenseless.  
  
"Oi, Rusty!"  
  
Steiner turned to see Zidane waving at him. "Catch!"  
  
Zidane tossed one of his daggers to Steiner, who caught it gratefully. "Thank you, Zidane!" he called.  
  
The battle had been going on for what seemed like hours, although Zidane had no way of telling the time.  
  
The party was tiring. Eiko and Garnet were desperately trying to share out the last of their white magic between the crew. The mages, Vivi, Kuja, Demeyra and Lani, had barely any power left, and even Beatrix and Steiner were tiring.  
  
Zidane brought his attention back to the person he was battling. Parry, cut, dodge, thrust-  
  
Garnet shrieked as a blade came slicing down her arm. Zidane turned. However, his attacker, taking full advantage of the reprieve, disarmed Zidane with a skilful flick of the wrist. Zidane's dagger spun away, out of his reach. Soon Zidane found himself flat on his back with a sword at his throat. Grinning, his foe lifted his sword up high, ready for the death blow.  
  
The blade swung through the air-  
  
"Stop."  
  
The attacker's blade halted instantly, stopping just inches from Zidane's face.  
  
A man dropped from the sky. He had huge red claws replacing his right hand and green dragon- scales distorting half of his face.  
  
Kuja gasped silently.  
  
"I am Phiran." The man said. "Doubtless some of you already know me."  
  
He smirked at Kuja.  
  
"And I see you have also met my Soroyans. They come from a land far in the north. Oh, don't worry, I didn't create them-"he said at the looks on Zidane's and Kuja's faces, "that would be truly ironic, don't you think? However, I do control them, and I do want them to kill you."  
  
"What do you want from us?" said Eiko, hands on hips.  
  
Phiran thought the matter over for a few moments. "Shall I tell you? No, I think it would be much more fun for you to figure it out for yourselves, don't you? In the meantime, however, I must see a genome about a soul." Phiran walked away, back to his ship, summoning his Soroyans after him.  
  
"Mikoto! She went back to the Black Mage Village!" Zidane whispered urgently.  
  
"How can we ever get there in time?" whimpered Garnet.  
  
Kuja's eyes lit up. "I may know a way. Follow me."  
  
Kuja led the group out the gates of Alexandria to the open land. The others waited anxiously to see what he would do. Kuja breathed deeply. He mumbled something under his breath, and his brow was creased slightly. Suddenly, a huge gust of wind howled past the crew. Eyes shining, Kuja turned, and the others followed him. Behind them was a huge Terran silver dragon.  
  
"Kuja, is that your dragon?" Beatrix asked, eyes wide with wonder.  
  
Kuja nodded. Zidane laughed. "Nice one, bro!" He slapped Kuja on the back.  
  
Kuja ran forward to caress his dragon around the neck. It nuzzled him in reply. Kuja leapt onto its back. "There is only room for two more people, and they must be able to hold on well."  
  
Zidane walked forward. "I'm coming. Mikoto is my little sister and I will protect her."  
  
Kuja reached down and helped Zidane up. "Who else?"  
  
Beatrix looked left and right. "If no- one has any objections, I would like to come with you."  
  
Zidane looked around. No- one had. "Alright then, let's go."  
  
Kuja pulled Beatrix up and helped her and Zidane to find places they would be able to hold on. He spoke to the dragon telepathically.  
  
I have not seen you for such a long time.  
  
Too long, the dragon replied.  
  
I have need of your services yet again. I must go to the Black Mage Village, in Magrathea Forest. You must fly with all speed.  
  
Very well.  
  
Kuja stood up. "Hold on tight!"  
  
A/N: My longest chapter so far! Coming in at 5 pages! Woo! And the dragon is back! If any- one knows anybody over the Internet called Kuja's Silver Dragon, then it's probably me. Does anyone know about any Cosplay conventions in Britain? No, I'm not very hopeful... 


	12. 12 Torture And Degradation

The Soroyans filed back onto the Redwing. As they made their way back to their chambers, Kerne spoke to Flacsin and Cian.

"So, how many did you get?"

"Twelve." Flacsin replied.

"_Twelve? _I got eighteen, and I'd have got that Summoner brat, too, if Master Phiran hadn't cut us off."

"Well, good for you." Flacsin said sullenly.

"What about you, Cian?"

"I don't know. I didn't count."

"Ah, you're just jealous 'cos you didn't get as many as me..." Kerne smiled. She moved a little closer to Cian. "But I can make it up to you if you want..."

"I'm not interested."

Kerne pouted, hands on hips. "What is _up _with you?"

"Just leave me alone."

Kerne sidled over to Flacsin. "Well, you know how to have fun, don't ya, baby?"

Flacsin stroked her hair. "Don't you know it." He turned to Cian. "Come on, man, lighten up. We're nearly done. Master Phiran's plan is nearly finished, then we'll get our freedom and we'll go and... I dunno. Have fun, or something."

Cian spun around to face them. "Don't you see anything _wrong _with this?" he cried. "Don't you think that we're getting a rough deal?"

Flacsin frowned. "What are you on about?"

"Who says that Phiran is going to keep up his end of the bargain? What if we just get stuck here forever? What if we're never freed? What then?"

Flacsin shrugged. "I dunno."

"Exactly! No- one does! What if he kills us all as soon as he has what he wants?"

"What _does _he want? He never told me."

"He never told you, Flacsin, because he knows you have the mental capacity of a five- year- old."

"The what of a five- year- old?"

"Exactly." Cian stormed into his chambers and slammed the door. Phiran was stood in front of him.

"Shit!" Cian swore.

"Precisely. And you, my friend, have landed straight in it." Phiran snorted. "I heard every word. How can you not trust me, Cian? After all I did for you." His eyes narrowed. "Or perhaps you don't think my services are good enough? Perhaps you want me to take them back?"

"No!" Cian cried. He dropped to his knees and kissed the hem of Phiran's long coat. "Please, Master, forgive me. I was merely frustrated that we have been toiling so long and not yet seen the fruit of our labours."

"Cian, Cian, Cian. The plan is almost complete. You saw how close they were to surrender yesterday. The rest is easy." Phiran frowned. "You deserve punishment. You know that, don't you? I should kill you for being so mutinous."

"I most humbly beg your pardon, Master. I am your loyal servant, now and forever."

Phiran stepped over the prostrate form of Cian and opened the door. Flacsin and Kerne had long gone. "Follow me."

Cian got up somewhat ungracefully and followed Phiran as he swept down the corridors. They came to a flight of stairs, the main stairwell in the ship, and Phiran went down, with Cian dutifully following him as a puppy would its master. Down they went, into the very bowels of the ship, until they came to the bottom floor. Most of this floor was taken up by engines, but there were several small rooms along one of them corridors. Taking a bunch of keys from inside his jacket, he opened one of the doors. He motioned for Cian to go inside. "Get in."

Cian slid past Phiran and entered the room nervously. Phiran slammed the door shut. The key clicked in the lock. Cian was in complete darkness. He couldn't even tell how big the room was, although he guessed it was very small.

He guessed right.

Phiran put one ear to the door of Flacsin's room. There were vacuous giggles coming from inside. He guessed Flacsin was with Kerne, atoning for the murderous sins he committed today.

He guessed right.

Phiran knocked on the door. "Flacsin? Flacsin! Get yourself out here _now!_"

In a matter of seconds, Flacsin was outside. Phiran sighed inwardly with relief. That meant it hadn't been anything serious.

"Flacsin, get Kerne and anyone else you can find and get the entire crew into the Hall. Do you hear me? _Everyone _must be in the Hall in fifteen minutes." Phiran swept off.

Flacsin poked his head around the door of his room. Kerne was hidden under the bed. He could see her shoes tossed on the floor. He hissed urgently: "Kerne, get yourself dressed. We've got to get everyone in the Hall!"

Kerne poked her head out from under the sheet concealing her presence. "_Everyone?_"

Flacsin nodded. "Come on, hurry!"

Fourteen minutes later, Cian felt a strange vibration running through the floor. He stood, preparing for whatever was going to happen next. Suddenly, the whole room glowed blue and he felt as if he had been suddenly lifted off the ground. The room faded from view...

_/Let me out! Let me out! No, don't.../_

Cian blinked, and he was in the Hall. The room was crowded with Soroyans. They had formed a circle around him. He looked around. Phiran was also in the circle, and a slow- looking low- ranked Soroyan.

Phiran addressed the crowd. "This filth, this piece of scum, has betrayed you all. He has mutinied, and incited others to mutiny as well."

Cian shot a glance at Phiran. "You had better kill me now, Phiran."

Phiran laughed. "Kill you now? No, I have an idea that will be much more fun. Take off your clothes."

When Cian hesitated, he shouted. "Take them off!"

Slowly, Cian stripped completely naked, and he stood there, shivering in the cold room, as thousands of eyes watched him unashamedly.

Phiran selected four members of the audience at random. "Hold him down."

Four Soroyans immediately piled on top of Cian, one holding each limb, so Cian was hanging several inches from the ground. Then Phiran turned to the low- ranking Soroyan behind him. "Illtyd, would you do the honours?" Phiran produced a box of matches from inside his coat. Illtyd took one out and struck it against the stone floor.

"What should we burn into his forehead?" Phiran said turning to the circle.

"Bastard!"

"Deserter!"

But it was Kerne who uttered the word that Phiran chose. "Traitor."

"T for Traitor... yes... I think that would work." Phiran mused.

Illtyd held the match to Cian's naked skin. Cian cried out in pain, gritting his teeth as the match-head was pressed into his forehead and he smelt the burning of his own flesh.

When the spectacle was over, Phiran motioned for the Soroyans holding Cian to drop him, and they did. Cian hit the stone floor hard, winding him. He tried to get up, but every time he tried to move it sent a fresh wave of pain searing through his body.

Phiran spoke to the Soroyans who had held Cian, "Take him back down to the cells. Keep on guard there."

The Soroyans nodded and picked Cian up, ignoring his screams of pain.

The crowd filed back to their rooms, discussing what they had just seen.

A/N: Ah, the ol' torture scene. I love writing them, so you might get a few more in this fic. If that's a problem for you, I advise you not to read any further, especially as they may get more perverted. Sometimes I have a _really _sick mind...

Kuja: I should know...

Jukka: winks at him Aw, come on, you know you like the kinky stuff really...


	13. 13 Dragon Flight

Kuja stood on his feathered dragon, silver hair flying backwards in the wind. This is what he loved doing best; the huge sense of freedom he got from seeing the whole world so small underneath him as it rushed past like a river. As he flew towards the Black Mage Village, he spoke to his dragon in his thoughts, as he had not done for so long.

_Where have you been all this time, Kuja?_

_To hell and back, my friend._

The dragon sent Kuja the telepathic equivalent of a snort. _I couldn't believe it when I saw you fall into the Iifa Tree. I called for you, but you did not reply._

_I was dying._

_Ah, _replied the dragon. _That would be it._

The dragon paused.

_We have a lot to catch up on, Kuja._

_I know. But not now. Now you must concentrate on getting us to Magrathea Forest as quickly as possible._

_Do you doubt my abilities, Kuja? Don't you remember how you and I used to race the elephant- lady's ship, or how we used to fly from one corner of the world to another in a day, just to feel the wind ruffle our feathers?_

Kuja smiled. _I remember._

Zidane spotted the tiny village below and pointed. "Kuja, there!"

_Silver dragon, descend!_

_It has been so long since I heard that. Too long._

The dragon dived. Zidane and Beatrix clutched on for dear life, as Kuja spread his arms wide to meet the gust of air that almost blew him off the dragon's back.

_I haven't done this in a while._

_It shows, _the dragon replied. _You are out of practice._

"Holy Ifrit!" Zidane shouted over the gale. "Kuja! Can you talk to your dragon... with your _mind?_"

The dragon landed gracefully, and Kuja leapt down from the flying beast and tickled it under the neck. Zidane and Beatrix jumped down after him.

"Didn't I tell you already?" Kuja inquired innocently.

Zidane, however, was distracted by Mr. 87 running up to them. "Mikoto's gone! She was kidnapped by some people in a big red ship! There was nothing we could do!"

"That bastard! Phiran was already here!" Zidane said, kicking a rock on the ground. "Is everyone else alright?"

Mr. 87 nodded. "Yeah, I think so."

"Well, that's a blessing." said Beatrix.

Zidane sighed and leaned against the dragon, holding his head in his hands. "No... my sister... what are we going to do?"

"We are going to get her back."

Zidane turned to see Kuja speaking.

"She's my sister, too. And I'm sure there's nothing you or I wouldn't do for her that Garnet or... or Freya, or any of your friends wouldn't. We'll figure out something we can do."

_What has happened? _The silver dragon asked.

_My sister has been kidnapped by a man in a red ship. He has a large army at his command. We don't know where he is, what he wants, or who he truly is. All we know is that his name is Phiran, and he seems to have some sort of vendetta against us, me in particular._

_Phiran..._

_Does that name ring a bell?_

_I think so, but... no, I cannot place it._

_I feel the same way. Something is there, but I cannot see it. Can you find the red ship?_

_There are many red ships in the world. You shall have to come with me. And to search the entire world for one ship... you have no idea where they are?_

Kuja thought for a second. _Phiran said that his army, the Soroyans, comes from the far north. We should probably try there first._

Kuja turned to Zidane and Beatrix. "The silver dragon says he can find the ship, given time. But I shall need to accompany him."

Zidane nodded. "Right. But I think we should go back to Alexandria first. Check up on what's going on there, make sure the situation hasn't gotten out of hand in our absence."

Beatrix agreed. "We also need to come up with a plan of action should we find the Redwing."

"Right." Kuja said, patting the dragon's neck before vaulting back on its back and stretching out his hand to help Zidane and Beatrix up.

Kuja spoke to the dragon.

_Let's go._

_We haven't ridden together for three years, _the dragon responded. _Last time I was in a hurry. But this time, we shall make it something special._

_Be careful, _Kuja cautioned. _My friends are not accustomed to riding dragons._

_Then let me introduce them to this world._

The dragon took off, beating it powerful wings and blowing Mr. 87's hat away.

_To Alexandria, _Kuja told him.

_But first, to heaven and back._

The dragon soared through the air, up towards the clouds. The sudden rush of air made all three gasp with surprise. Laughing with delight, Kuja stood up, holding out his arms to balance himself. His blue eyes shone and the sunlight glinted off his armour.

"Hey, Kuja!" Zidane called. "You never told me how you manage to stay standing up on your dragon!"

"It took me a long time to perfect it." Kuja said. He bent down and took Zidane's arm. Zidane stood, although he wobbled a lot. Kuja shook his head. "Keep your knees relaxed and put your weight on your back foot."

Beatrix also tentatively stood, although she crouched lower than Zidane. Zidane whooped. "This is great, Kuja!"

_Here we go, _said the dragon.

_They're not ready! They've only-_

Suddenly the dragon dived. Beatrix shrieked and was whipped off its back into the air current. The dragon quickly stopped, and Kuja turned and cast a hasty Float spell. For several heart- stopping seconds, it looked as if the spell hadn't worked. But then Beatrix stopped, and simply hovered in the air, bobbing up and down slightly. With just a slight shift in the weight on his feet, Kuja signaled for the dragon to fly over to her. When it reached her, Kuja held out his hand and pulled her onto the dragon's back, where she sat, slightly breathless. "I'm sorry, Beatrix."

"That's perfectly fine." Beatrix gasped. "Just- just get us back to Alexandria, on firm ground."

Kuja nodded, and the dragon resumed its flight towards Alexandria, but this time at a more sedate pace.

_You should have been more careful, silver dragon._

_You enjoyed it, didn't you? The speed. The air currents. You've not felt that for such a long time._

Kuja was annoyed at how well the dragon could read him. _Stop changing the subject! You knew they had no experience in flying! You've had three years to nosedive and pull whatever tricks you want!_

The dragon landed in General Madeline's square. Luckily, the only witness was a drunken man, who scratched his head and checked the label on his bottle. The silver beast looked at Kuja mournfully, its eyes huge and round.

_Oh, don't look at me like that..._

The dragon whined. Kuja sighed and smiled at the dragon.

_You've always known how to get what you want from me, _he thought, tickling it affectionately behind the ears.

_You've always known how to fly, Kuja. _The dragon replied.

A/N: Well, I didn't really like this chapter, but it had to be done. And I have Nirvana's greatest hits CD! It rocks!!! I also saw Van Helsing (finally) which was rubbish apart from the special effects and Dracula. If you watch Sleepy Hollow and Jeepers Creepers 2, you will see some hilarious similarities. Hee hee hee... actually, I'm just a friar...


	14. 14 A Country Of Slaves

In the darkness, Cian awoke slowly. His head throbbed as if an angry Hedgehog Pie was living inside it. He was inside the dark cell again. Cian shivered. Ifrit only knew what else was down here. Cian put one hand to his head, but withdrew it in shock once he touched the T burned into him. Gradually, he began to remember what had happened. He groaned. How could he have been so stupid? He knew it was dangerous to even think such thoughts within the Redwing, much less tell them to someone else. Phiran seemed to have some kind of ability to know what was going on in everyone's minds. Whether it was just that he had a knack for guessing correctly, or that he had some power that enabled him to see into others' minds, Cian didn't know. But what he did know that was Phiran was not an enemy to be underestimated. He pitied this Kuja and his friends. If only there was a way to reach them, to help them, Cian would take it. Death by whatever foul means Phiran could think of to punish him for such a travesty would be a blessed release from this pain, this darkness.

Cian sighed. At least he hadn't mentioned to Flacsin the fears he had for Phiran's scheme. He had seen the man Flacsin had taken the soul from, and he knew that Phiran planned to take more than just that soul. He also knew that Phiran had the power to take the souls of every single Soroyan on this ship. Cian feared Phiran, but he also had a kind of reluctant respect for his intellect. Phiran had crafted the perfect plan, sure to succeed.

Cian stood, resolved. He would escape and get help to Kuja and his friends. Groping in the blackness, he tried to get a better idea of his surroundings. He ran his hands along the walls. He had been right when he had guessed that the room was very small. Suddenly, he touched something un-wall- like. He withdrew his hand reflexively, but once he had regained his composure, he put it out again, trying to determine what the irregularity was. He felt fur, and metal, and cloth. He frowned. What on Gaia was it? After a few moments thought, Cian moved on.

Next to the furry thing, he found a canvas bag. Rummaging around in the bag, he found a box of matches. He sighed with relief. He struck the match, giving him light to see by. He gasped. The furry thing was actually a Burmecian, the one he and Flacsin had taken the soul of. With the light, he could now see another figure in the cell with him. This one, however, was breathing. It looked very much like one of Kuja's friends he had seen in Alexandria, even with the same strange furry tail- but no, this one was more female­­­­­­.

"Hello?" Cian said, waving his hand in front of the girl's face. The girl stirred and mumbled, as if awakening from a deep sleep.

"What the- who are you?"

"I am Cian. A friend."

The girl propped herself up against the wall. Cian saw she had bad bruising and cuts all over her, though none of them seemed to be serious, as if whoever had attacked her had been unenthusiastic.

"What's happened to me?"

"You're in the cells of the Redwing, a ship built and run by Phiran Molotov."

"Phiran... I do not know the name."

"You shall soon, I promise you. Who are you?"

"My name is Mikoto."

"Do you know anything of a man named Kuja?"

Mikoto sat bolt upright. "Why?"

"You look just like one of his companions."

"Kuja and his 'companion', Zidane, are my brothers."

"Your brothers?! But Kuja looks nothing like you or Zidane!"

"Yes... we are all the results of an experiment on another world, Terra, to try and create life. Kuja was the prototype. Zidane and I followed soon after."

"Phiran wants to kill Kuja, and, I suspect, anyone affiliated with him. That means you and Zidane."

"Aren't you one of Phiran's army?"

"Phiran's army? Yes, I suppose we could be described as that. I am a Soroyan, from a country called Soroya, far in the north of this world. For as long as anyone can remember, we have been under the control of another nation, Mageroya, until Phiran came to our town. He burned the town of Mageroya down to the ground single- handedly. He promised us our freedom if we would serve him whilst he travelled the world on a quest. The details of the quest were always vague, he never revealed his plans to any of us, but we went along with him, mainly out of fear. We had just seen him raze a whole city to the ground, and we had never lived free from the shadow of the Mageroyans. We knew nothing of how to govern ourselves. He quickly set us in ranks and gave us tasks we were best at.

I was born blind. Until Phiran came, all I had ever experienced was nothingness. I did not even see black. I cannot describe what it was like other than complete nothingness. I had been more or less shunned all my life because of my handicap. But Phiran, realizing my potential, gave me sight. It was incredible. My whole world, filled with colour as never before. I rose through the ranks and soon became one of Phiran's top officers. I was never much of a fighter, but with no false modesty, I know I was much more intelligent than any of the other officers. My best friend was called Flacsin. Thick as mud, but the finest marksman I have ever seen.

Anyway, one day, Phiran caught me expressing to Flacsin my doubts about Phiran's trustworthiness. He threw me in this cell and burned this traitor mark into my forehead." He indicated the burn. "Now I have vowed to work against Phiran in any way possible. I must get out in order to help Kuja and his friends. Or if that is not possible, then I will help you get out. Do you trust me?"

Mikoto was silent for a long while, then finally, she lifted her head. "Yes."

Cian grabbed her hand. "Excellent! Then we must work out a way to escape. Phiran will rue the day he scarred me."

A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to get this out. I've been on holiday in Devon. SURFING RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I saw Jeepers Creepers 1 and it was hilarious, and I also saw The Ring, which made me jump when you saw the dead people 'cos they were horrible.


	15. 15 Memories

There was no need for a real meeting. Garnet, who had been watching the skies anxiously with Doctor Tot, saw the dragon land, it's presence made even more obvious by the moonlight reflecting off the dragon's silvery feathers. She rushed downstairs, with Tot following at a much more sedate pace behind. Her face fell when she noticed that Mikoto was missing.

"Zidane? Didn't you find Mikoto?"

Zidane's face sagged awkwardly. "She's gone, Dagger." he said, reverting to Garnet's alias. It had taken him a long time to get used to saying 'Garnet' again after their adventure, and he often used it in times of great stress. Garnet was never sure if this was a comfort thing, or whether the pressure made him forget about trivial things such as that.

"Phiran took her?" Garnet asked gently.

Zidane leant against Garnet for support. "Yeah. She's gone."

"There is a chance." Kuja said, stepping forward. Garnet looked up. "I can search for the Redwing on my dragon. Mikoto may be there.

"But we have no idea where it is!"

"Phiran mentioned that the Soroyan village was in the north. We shall start there. I have put my faith in my dragon before and I am prepared to do so again."

"Can't someone else go? Phiran knows you, and- "

Kuja cut her off with a wave of his hand. "You know that I am the only one that can fly my dragon." _And no- one wants me in the castle anyway, _he thought. "Besides, we shall not be noticed. We shall keep at a distance and observe the movements of Phiran and the Soroyans, then report back."

Garnet turned to Tot. "What do you think?"

Tot nodded slowly. "I think... that this is our best plan at the moment. Whilst Kuja is gone, we may devise a better one."

Kuja leapt back onto his dragon. "If I am not back in... a week, don't bother looking for me."

Garnet nodded, understanding the meaning of his words. "Come on, Zidane."

She turned and headed back up to the Palace with Doctor Tot, Beatrix, and Zidane.

Your_ dragon, Kuja?_

Kuja turned to see the dragon looking at him with an amused expression on its face.

_What was I supposed to say? 'It'?_

_I belong to no- one!_

With that, the dragon took off with a glorious sweep of its wings.

_Where are we headed first?_

_Check the snowy northern regions around Esto Gaza. _

Stretching its wings to their limit, the dragon swooped so low that Kuja could caress the silky ocean surface with his fingertips, and so rose high that the land lay in front of them as if it were just a map, and the stars seemed just an arm's length away. Kuja felt that familiar sensation in the back of his mind he always felt when he was flying, as if he could hear a song that some caring woman had sung to him since he was a child, some sweet lullaby. But of course, there was no such song, and there was no caring woman.

How could you live in that city, Kuja? The air... it is so hard to breathe... 

Kuja was taken aback. He had never noticed it. _I... don't know... I never realised... I have been away from the skies so long..._

You have changed, Kuja. Can't you remember? 

_Kuja shook his head._

_Remember Kuja. Please remember... for the sake of all our years in flight..._

Kuja shut his eyes tight, trying desperately to remember what it was like to fly so fast, breathe so freely, do all that the dragon spoke of. The dragon itself was silent, knowing the concentration Kuja needed for this task.

_Focus... _Kuja thought to himself_. Shut everything else out... _

Kuja felt his entire body devoting himself to a single task in a way it had not done for years. His insides started shutting down, to devote more energy to Kuja's memories. His stomach stopped digesting food, his lungs breathed more shallowly, and even his heart slowed until it hardly beat at all.

Kuja waited.

And waited.

And waited.

After what seemed like a long while, Kuja opened his eyes. "I don't think it's going to-"

He stopped.

Everything had disappeared. The dragon, the stars, the ocean, everything. All around Kuja was nothing but blackness.

"What's going on?" Kuja's voice echoed around the void.

Suddenly, a pinprick of colour appeared in the distance. Kuja couldn't make out what it was, but the general colour was white. Gradually, the speck got closer and closer until Kuja could tell what it was. At first he didn't believe it. But as it approached him, he realised he had no choice.

"No-"

It was a young Kuja, perhaps only eight years old. Tears streamed down his face and he kept tripping up, as if his eyes were too blurred with tears to see where he was going.

Kuja collapsed on his knees and, with trembling fingers, reached out for the boy in front of him. But the boy didn't see him. He was much too preoccupied with the figure behind him, which Kuja only just noticed. Standing up, nostrils flaring and fists clenched, he stared at the newcomer.

"Garland!" he hissed.

Garland, too, paid him no attention. Instead, he spoke to the boy. "You brought this on yourself."

With Garland's words, the blackness around them exploded into blue. They were on Terra, not in Bran Bal, but in the wastelands of the planet, where monsters roamed freely and the blue light pulsed less harshly.

"Please... don't..." the boy sniffed.

"You deserve to be punished!" the old man roared. "A disobedient Genome must be punished!"

With one hand, Garland plucked the small boy up off the floor by the scruff of the neck and carried him away at arm's length. The boy did not struggle. Kuja thought that Garland had cast a Sleep spell over him, but he was not sure.

Kuja followed behind Garland, uncertain of what he was seeing.

Soon they reached Garland's 'palace', though it could hardly be called one. They came to a room which Kuja thought he had never seen before but distantly recalled, as if he had seen it in someone else's photograph. The only furniture adorning the room was a large table with chains over it and a large, comfortable chair in the corner. Onto the table Garland dropped the young Kuja and chained his wrists and ankles down.

Garland sat down in the luxurious chair and clicked his fingers. Instantly the boy awoke, looking around him wildly.

"Wha-"

Garland stood up and peered over the boy. "It is time you paid for your mistakes." He slammed a fist down on the boy's stomach, strengthened by magic.

Kuja felt a sudden pain in his stomach. He gasped and fell to the floor. Grey ate away at the edges of his vision. It felt as if his stomach had been ripped out, and it was completely unexpected.

Please, just end it... kill me now... 

But instead of the pain ending, it only intensified, and Kuja fell to the floor, unconscious.


	16. 16 Remebrance

"Don't treat me like I'm just your puppet!"

This enraged shout sliced through the darkness, awakening Kuja. He opened his eyes and looked around. He was still on Terra, but Garland was now speaking to an older Kuja, around fifteen. He screamed and yelled at Garland, but the old man just stood there calmly, with an amused expression on his face.

"I will control my own destiny!" the young Kuja shouted.

The older Kuja gasped in horror as he realised that he remembered this scene. He knelt on the floor with his head in his hands, blocking out the memory. But the images kept on coming, as though this was not happening outside his body but inside his eyes. Even when Kuja shut his eyes he could still see the blue light of Terra and the furious figure of his younger self projected on his eyelids.

_Please, not this... anything but this..._

Garland watched the raging Kuja until his anger had burned out. "Have you quite finished?" he asked coldly.

The young Kuja turned his back on him.

"Never mind. It is irrelevant now anyway."

The young Kuja looked back over his shoulder, in spite of himself. "What do you mean by that?"

"Why, your services shall no longer be needed, of course." Seeing the look of confusion on Kuja's face, Garland smirked. "You were always inferior, Kuja. Ever since you were created, I was always looking for something better. When I created you, I was looking for a particular type of soul. Something intelligent and spirited. Something that could take matters into his own hands when things went wrong. It didn't occur to me to find a soul that would _obey. _I assumed that you would naturally obey me. However, you didn't. So I created a replacement that would. Meet the Second."

A blank- faced Genome walked from the shadows. He was short and stocky, and he had short, scruffy blonde hair. He was as different possible from Kuja, as if Garland had made his body specially to highlight the differences between him and the Second. Only the eyes, the washed- out blue eyes, bore any resemblance to Kuja's, but where Kuja's eyes shone, Zidane's were dull, as if the light behind them hadn't been switched on yet.

"Isn't he perfect?" Garland grinned. "You have been unwilling and weak from the start, Kuja. You never listened, you never complied. I know all about your little jaunt in Gaia. Did you really think that you could deceive me? The Second will be the new clay from which I shall mould the _perfect _Angel Of Death! Then my plan shall be complete and I will assimilate Gaia."

The young Kuja kept his face turned from Garland's, so he could not see the tears streaming down his face. The older Kuja raged at him through his sorrow. "Say something! Defend yourself!" he cried desperately. "You- can- destroy- him! Don't- cry!"

Sobbing, the younger Kuja ran from the room, and his elder counterpart screamed. "Enough! Please! Why are you showing me this?"

But instead of answering him, the scene darkened and another came into view. This time it was the Kuja of three years ago, in Burmecia, realising Zidane was still alive. At the Iifa Tree, when Bahamut had turned against the elephant- lady and killed her. Then another, and another, faster and faster, until they blurred into each other. Kuja stood in the midst of the wailing vortex, screaming with it, until he could no longer tell whether the sound was coming from his mouth or the scenes replaying in front of him.

_I have looked forward to meeting you for a long time, Princess..._

_Sing for me, my sweet canary. I, too, will welcome you come with open arms._

_Play a requiem for her and all of Alexandria!_

_Should I kill you slowly to express my gratitude for all that you have done? Or quickly to show my love?_

_I'm gonna die just like the black mages I so despise!_

_I finally realised what it means to live... I guess I was too late._

_I was just looking for solace... and perhaps a little forgiveness..._

_I don't think I would hesitate to kill him._

_I forgive you..._

_For the sake of all our years in flight..._

A huge flash of white erupted in Kuja's mind, and unexpectedly, he was flying in the skies over the Iifa Tree. But not on his dragon. He was flying free, his sleeves trailing behind him like great white wings. The face caressed his face as he swooped through the air in ecstasy. "I remember, silver dragon!" he cried into the gusts of air whooshing past him.

Suddenly he was back on his dragon, and, just as suddenly, he had fallen from its back, down into nothingness. Complete nothingness...


	17. 17 Shattered Glass, Shattered Dreams

A/N: This is a BIG chapter. Not in size, it's fairly small that way. But something MASSIVE gets revealed that's been hovering round ever since the gang first arrived in Alexandria. The shrewd/ British amongst you may have spotted it and wondered why nothing happened about it. THIS is it!!! Plus Renne features again, who is going to be very angsty later on.

I've got this whole thing about HIM after listening to the acoustic version of 'Funeral Of Hearts' which ROCKS!!! Now I'm saving up to buy the album 'And Love Said No', which is a bit like their Greatest Hits. But how the hell do you pronounce Ville Valo? I have a theory it's like Billy Halo, but it's Finnish so that could be completely wrong. He has the greenest eyes ever...

I finished FFVII for the second time (but still couldn't be bothered to bring my chars up to a level where they could fight Ruby/ Emerald Weapon) and I think it was harder than I remember, even though I did loads more leveling up this time. The ending is really predictable, though. I mean, Sephiroth even SAID that was going to happen. That was the basis of his entire plan! And it leaves too many loose ends, i.e. Are Cloud and Aeris reunited? Does Yuffie get to keep the Materia? etc.. I also watched the bit after the credits (which took ages) and I only then realised that that is where Moombas (FFVIII) come from! They are so much like Red XIII! I can't believe I didn't notice it before...

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: I got a few comments lately, but it was no- where like enough for me to really be bothered enough to keep putting this on the Net for much longer. Also, I'm getting a few comments saying, 'you could do more'. That ISN'T HELPING!!! I need CONSTRUCTIVE criticism! So, y'all better start being more helpful or I'll build up a HUGE cliffhanger and leave it there...

"I'm standing by the river

But the water doesn't flow

It boils with every poison

You can think of."

_Road To Hell, Chris Rea_

"... far did he fall?"

"...been at least one hundred feet."

"How on Gaia did he survive...?"

"...same way he survived...fall into the Iifa Tree."

"...how was that?"

"...I don't know."

"The dragon..."

"Don't tell... break it the right way..."

Kuja's vision blurred into colour. He was in Alexandria Castle Infirmary again, with Doctor Tot, Zidane, Demeyra and Garnet hovering around his bed.

"What happened?"

Zidane glanced at Tot. "We're not sure, but we think you fell from your dragon."

Kuja sat bolt upright. "What happened to the dragon?"

Garnet calmed him down. "Don't worry, it's quite safe. It mainly stays around this area."

"How did you find me?"

Zidane smiled and tapped his forehead. "Genome senses." he said. "Luckily, you weren't on the other side of the world or something, or finding you would have taken a lot longer. We nearly lost you."

"How long have I been unconscious?" Kuja asked.

Tot cleared his throat. "After you had been gone a week, we began searching for you. Two days later, we found you on the Forgotten Continent. The snows had almost covered you. We brought you back here in the Hilda Garde 2. You've been in a coma for two weeks."

"We all thought you wouldn't make it." said Demeyra in a small voice.

Zidane sat down on the edge of the bed. "Kuja," he started, then took a deep breath and tried again. "When the dragon... fell on top you..." he broke off and bit his lip, tears shining in his eyes.

"It completely smashed both of your legs." Garnet continued, her eyes cast down.

Kuja didn't understand at first. The sentence simply reverberated around his brain, waiting for something to connect to. Then, suddenly...

He got it.

"B-both my legs... smashed?" Kuja started. Did he say that? How could he say anything at a time like this? And the voice sounded so... alien to him. Was it really his own?

Zidane nodded. "I'm sorry, Kuja."

Garnet picked something up from a nearby table and carried it towards him tentatively, as if afraid he might bite. "We... we found these..."

In front of Kuja she laid the three feathers he had once worn in his hair. The objects that had once epitomised everything about him, and he had doted on them. Even during those terrible moments in the Iifa Tree, he had kept them neat as best he could. Now they lay in front of him brokenly, with parts missing and kinks along its centre.

Just like Kuja.

Sobs racked Kuja's body as he buried his face in his hands. Demeyra, also with tears trickling down her cheeks, put her arms around him.

Kuja felt someone- a woman- put their fingers under his chin and raise his head. Kuja looked up and Renne was, sat on the bed in front of him, though she weighed nothing.

"Renne!" he exclaimed.

"Kuja." She inclined her head. "You friends will not be able to see me. I did not plan for their presence. However, something much more important is at hand; you remembered. You remembered what it was to fly _by flying. _So you must remember Phiran's connection to your past in the same manner."

"How?" Kuja asked.

Renne shook her head. "I cannot say."

Kuja frowned. "What is holding you back, Renne? Why can't you talk freely with me?"

Renne looked left and right, as if she was expecting someone to come bursting in through the door. "Again, it is difficult to say without being overheard. But... there is... a person... who... does not wish for me to communicate with you." Renne thought for a minute. "Be wary of this person. They will try and overthrow you however they can. But before you can do anything else, you must remember what Phiran was before."

"How can I do anything in this state?" he cried. "Both my legs have been completely crushed by my own dragon. I shall never fly, or fight, or even walk ever again!"

"I know. And I am sorry I cannot help more. There are three people near to me, one of which you know very well, who are trying to... escape. Thy will reach you soon, I hope, then you shall have a new ally."

"What about-"

"I'm sorry, Kuja." She said. "I cannot hold this connection much longer. If you want to know the truth, look under-"

The image of Renne faded from view and Doctor Tot's nasal voice pierced his ears.

"...message from Renne. Don't interfere."

"Renne came again." Kuja informed them.

"What did she say on this occasion, Kuja?" Doctor Tot inquired, pulling a notebook and pencil out from his jacket. Kuja told them what Renne had said, whilst Doctor Tot scribbled down notes furiously.

"There's something else." He told them. "Renne said I had to 'look under' something to know the truth. And then I felt _this _appear under my pillow." He reached underneath his pillow and pulled out an ornate silver- handled mirror. All at once, everyone except Kuja screamed. Zidane leapt forward and attempted to snatch the mirror from Kuja's hands, but instead knocked Kuja, who let go of the mirror. The looking glass flew across the room and smashed into the wall, where it splintered into thousands of fragments and scattered over the bed.

There was a stunned silence. All eyes turned to Kuja, who was staring dumbly at his own reflection in the splinters of glass, some of which had covered his face in tiny cuts. His hair had lost its shiny lustre, turning grey. Kuja tugged at it gently and a tuft fell out into his hand. His skin was covered in lines, and his eyes were dull and rheumy.

"...I'm... old..."


	18. 18 Kiss

A/N: Whew, lots to talk about. First off, I know this chapter's long, but I just couldn't stop writing it. Plus it is V. Important. It started off as a filler then it turned into a full- blown proper important chapter.

I've figured out how this is going to end. I've started writing the final chapters (how could I not? I just had to put my ideas down) but there is a problem. I have two different, equally good ideas for endings!!! There's two things I could do here: I could put them both up and let you decide, or I could write them both out and decide myself. Which could be difficult. Whatever your opinion, please comment and let me know!

I saw the film 'The Cell' after I wrote this, and that helped me refine my ideas a lot. It's a good film, except I didn't see the beginning so I don't know who 'Edward' is.

Also, CONSTRUCTIVE criticism would be great instead of 'oh. That's good. Please add!' which makes you sound stupid as well as pissing me off.

Oh, and I'm sorry about the reactions in this chapter, especially Demeyra's. I know I get really pissed off at anyone else who writes crap reactions, but this was really the only way I could get the story going. I also apologise to anyone who is confused by my story, and I know that is the main flaw of my writing, and I'm working on it, okay?

Kuja sat in his wheelchair in the infirmary. Demeyra was sat on a table beside him.

"I can't believe this happened. Why on earth did the dragon fall?" Demeyra asked.

Kuja didn't reply.

"Come on, talk to us, Kuja. You haven't spoken to anyone for three weeks- _three weeks!_ I'm sorry we tried to keep it from you, but look at you! We know how much you... take pride in your appearance. We knew this would happen."

Kuja remained silent.

"Kuja, come on. This isn't funny. We're all worried about you. Please let us help."Demeyra begged.

Kuja maintained his stony silence, gazing out of the window.

"Please..." Demeyra slid off the table and crumpled into a heap at Kuja's feet. She took Kuja's hands. They were cold and dry as paper. "Kuja...?"

Kuja blinked slowly. He no longer bothered to keep his appearance as he had done in the past. He had cut his grey hair much shorter, and allowed it to become tangled and matted. He had cast off his flamboyant clothes for a much simpler loose shirt and trousers. He wore a pair of spectacles Dr. Tot had had made for him. He hadn't seen his dragon in the three weeks since he had awoken from his coma.

"Speak to me, Kuja..."

Kuja suddenly looked up and met Demeyra's gaze fully. Demeyra almost recoiled in shock, but restrained herself at the last minute. For the first time, Demeyra realized how big and blue his eyes were, just like two lakes on a sunny day, and then she was falling into those eyes...

"Ahem..."

Demeyra span around. Zidane was stood in the doorway, with many curious faces behind him. Zidane grinned. "We thought we ought to come and see how you were doing." he said. "Plus we can sort out a few things while we're at it."

Demeyra was flustered, but Kuja simply wheeled himself away.

Zidane, Garnet, Vivi, Steiner, Eiko, Freya, Lani, Dr. Tot and Beatrix came in, filling the small room. Zidane began. "Phiran hasn't attacked for a while. This gives us chance to plot Mikoto's rescue."

Beatrix took over. "First, we need to find Phiran's ship, The Redwing. Any ideas?"

Eiko piped up. "What about the Hilda Garde 3?" she asked. "We could find it with that."

"Too vague." Garnet pointed out. "We could look forever in the Hilda Garde and never find the Redwing. Plus it's all the way over in Lindblum, and it's not much use in a firefight."

"C-could someone else fly the dragon?" Vivi ventured.

"Well, that wouldn't work!" Lani laughed. "Can _you _fly it, little man? No- one can fly it except Kuja. And it took _him_ years to learn."

Everyone fell silent whilst they worked out possible strategies in their heads.

"Haven't we got any other ships that might work?" asked Steiner.

"What about the Red Rose? That's got cannons and stuff." asked Zidane.

"I suppose we don't have much choice." sighed Garnet. "We should try the north first, like Kuja said. After that..." she shrugged. "Pot luck."

Zidane nodded. "Okay." He said. "We'll meet up in ten minutes at the gates. I'll get the Red Rose ready."

They all nodded and filed out to their rooms to prepare. Zidane caught Demeyra's arm. "Erm... Demeyra..." he said hesitantly. "Look, I think it's best it you stay here, yeah? I mean, someone needs to stay with Kuja and all..."

Demeyra frowned. "Baby-sit Kuja? Aren't I worth more to you than that?"

Zidane squirmed. "Well, er, yeah, but... look." he sighed. "If you come along, that's another person to worry about, and I really think you'd be better here..."

"I can't look after myself? Is that what you're saying?"

"Well, no, but..."

"You can't keep me here! I'm coming with you!"

Zidane dodged out of the way, and, with the speed of the thief he had been for years, locked the door in Demeyra's face. "I'm sorry, Demeyra." he called. "But it's easier this way." He tossed the keys to Dr. Tot, who fumbled the catch. "Let her out when she's calmed down." he said.

"Er... yes, well... quite." stuttered the unfortunate Doctor, bending down to pick up the keys.

Demeyra hammered on the door. "LET ME OUT, ZIDANE! I'M WARNING YOU... IF YOU DON'T OPEN THIS DOOR RIGHT NOW I'M GOING TO BREAK IT DOWN WITH MY OWN TWO HANDS!!!"

Zidane's footsteps faded into the distance. Demeyra flopped into a chair, fuming. "Why does everyone insist on treating me like a child? I want to find out what's going on for myself, I want to fight with everyone else, I need to get out of here!" she paused in her ranting and looked at Kuja. "How am I going to get out, Kuja?"

Kuja's mouth formed words, but Demeyra couldn't hear them.

"What?" she said, drawing a little nearer.

"C-come closer..." Kuja whispered, so faintly Demeyra could barely hear it. She edged closer to Kuja.

"Closer..."

"Closer..."

"Closer..."

Kuja kissed her. Demeyra's eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she leant into the kiss and her and Kuja were kissing, and she knew there was something wrong about that, but she couldn't remember what...

Then suddenly, she wasn't in the Alexandrian infirmary, she was somewhere else altogether.

She pulled away and turned around. She was in a stone maze, full of staircases and ladders and doors. Numbers and shapes and sounds and pictures and stands of colour flashed and flew around at an alarmingly fast rate. Kuja was stood behind her, in his usual clothes... if you could ever call them usual, Demeyra thought with a smile.

"Kuja... you're standing!"

Kuja shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm not really here."

"Then where are you?"

"In the infirmary, just as you are." When Demeyra frowned, he continued. "I've been here a few times before. Think of this place as... my mind. We are like spirits, but in places like this, we can touch things as if we were real."

Demeyra looked around her in awe. "Your mind is pretty impressive."

"Not really. It changes gradually, depending on what happens to me. Losing the use of my legs damaged it badly. It used to be much more colourful than this. Now it's just... stone."

"What are these little things flying around?" Demeyra said, trying to grab a flying picture but finding it passed straight through her fingers.

"Ah yes. You can't touch those. They are my thoughts, my memories. I can touch them." He said, pulling one from the air at random. "But... it's very difficult... to think about anything other than that..." he gave up and let it go. "When I need to concentrate, it's a great thing."

"How many times have you been here before?"

"Not many. I've been here a lot more since I got stuck in the wheelchair. Perhaps... eight or nine times altogether."

"Wow." Demeyra breathed. "Has anyone ever been here before me?"

Kuja shook his head. "I only just realised how to bring others here. It needs... deep physical contact..."

Demeyra smiled at Kuja's stilted embarrassment, so unlike the passionate soul he once was. "So why did you bring me here?"

"You wanted to follow Zidane, didn't you?"

"You can teleport me to the Hilda Garde?" said Demeyra excitedly.

"No. But I can do something else."

"What?"

"You might not like it. It requires a complete crossover of information; memories, thoughts, knowledge..."

Demeyra saw where he was going. "You're going to teach me how to fly the dragon?"

"If you agree."

Demeyra punched the air. "Of course! This is incredible! How on Gaia did you find out how to do all this stuff?"

"Well, this place is a maze." Kuja said, looking around him. "It's always changing, constantly developing along with me. All I had to do was... explore. You know how they say we only use a tiny portion of our brains?"

Demeyra nodded.

"Well, if I find out how to unlock doors, I can find out something new. I haven't had much else to do lately."

"If I had a place like this, I'd be here all the time."

"There are dangers. You can get completely lost in here if you are not careful. Apart from that, it takes a long time to find keys, and then you've got to find the door it corresponds to. Behind some doors, there are monsters, too."

"How come I don't have a place like this?"

"You do. You just haven't tapped into it yet. Every time I've been here so far has been at an emotional peak in my life."

"And you've been here eight times? You must have a pretty stressful life."

"You have no idea."

An awkward silence followed.

"So how do I learn to fly the dragon?" Demeyra said.

"It's difficult, and I don't know what side- effects there may be. But all you have to do is calm down and focus."

"On what?"

"On..." Kuja cast around for an idea. "On me." he said finally. "Concentrate on me, and don't be distracted no matter what."

"...Right." Demeyra nodded slowly. "And what then?"

"You'll receive everything I know, all my memories, all my knowledge..."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Yes." Kuja replied immediately, then smiled. "Someone's got to take care of my brother."

"And then what? How do we get out?"

"Once we've finished, you'll know." said Kuja with a small smile.

"...okay." Demeyra sat down, cross- legged, and breathed slowly. Kuja sat next to her, so close their noses were almost touching.

Thoughts swirled in Demeyra's head. She tried to calm them down, to be more open to Kuja. Gradually, ever so gradually, the images and sounds whirling in Kuja's mind congregated in one area, directly above Kuja's head. The concentration of ideas became intense, too intense... Demeyra's head began to throb but she stayed silent, waiting to see what would happen next. As the last ribbon of colour joined the mass of thought, it began to glow whiter and whiter, until it was so bright Demeyra's eyes began to water. But she kept her eyes open, because she just _had _to see what was going to happen next, she had to witness it...

The bright ball of light split into two. One half stayed over Kuja's head, and the other moved crawled towards Demeyra, until it hovered over her head. Then it began to descend. As soon as the light touched her head, she gasped. It was pleasantly warm, yet goosebumps rose on Demeyra's arms. It felt like liquid, yet Demeyra stayed dry. It engulfed her body as a silver aura. Demeyra felt her mind flooded with new concepts, new beliefs, and new memories. She saw a strange landscape filled with blue light; an old man with a pulsing red light in his stomach; a flock of silver dragons flying through the skies of the blue planet. She saw the red eye in the skies that so many people had feared during the Great War; she saw a beautiful city by the sea razed to the ground and the ocean around it stained with blood. She saw the old Queen staring into the eyes of a great dragon, and she saw a world made entirely of crystal. She saw... she saw...

A door.

A small wooden door, with a large iron lock. The wood was smooth from wear and age, but the hinges were rust- coated, as if the door had never been opened.

_Open it, _a voice inside her said.

_Kuja? Is that you?_

_You can open this door. This door... I have seen it many times, yet I could never open it. I believe the room contains what Renne wants me to remember._

_How do I open it? I don't have a key!_

_You see the hinges? They are almost rusted through. A good solid push will topple this door. _

_How come you've never opened it then?_

_I've never seen it like this._

Demeyra stood back from the door and drew on Kuja's memories. All the martial arts lessons Garland had taught Kuja flooded into her. Kuja had never been particularly successful at this sort of thing, but he knew what to do.

With a strength she never knew she had, Demeyra smashed into the door with a powerful kick. With a huge bang, the door fell over and Demeyra entered the room. It was huge and undecorated, with bare walls and a wooden floor. The ceiling stretched up so high Demeyra could not see its limits. The only striking feature of this room was the four stone trees along the far wall. Demeyra approached them cautiously, as if they might suddenly come to life and attack her at any moment. She soon noticed that all the trees had one branch that wasn't joined on correctly. She pulled the branch on the first tree. Suddenly a huge image appeared in front of her; the Invincible soaring over the Mist Continent. Although she saw it from far away, she could hear two individuals on the ship talking clearly:

"When are we going to carry out Master Garland's orders?"

"Listen to yourself. 'Master Garland'. You're pathetic."

"I only do my duty to Master-"

"Shut up! Shut up! I can't take it anymore! You've been in my way ever since you were created. Yes, created by your 'Master Garland'."

"Let me go!"

"Let's see how you help your 'Master' now!"

A speck appeared in the sky, too far away for Demeyra to see. But Kuja knew what it was, even as it rushed towards them at fantastic speed.

_Zidane._

_You did that!?_

_I...I..._

And Demeyra understood, despite Kuja's inadequate explanation. She understood because part of Kuja was in her now. She had lived his life, through his eyes, and she knew what it was like. She understood him.


	19. 19 Strangers

A/N: I wrote this whilst listening to the music for the Levi's advert where people run through walls. It is GORGEOUS and you can get it and loads of other UK ads by visiting . I recommend the b/w Boddingtons advert, the 'Top Bombing' John Smith advert and the 'Bear Fighting' John West advert.

If you're confused (and I know some people are), here's a VERY brief summary of everything that has happened so far:

After three years, Kuja came back to the Black Mage Village and Zidane took him to Alexandria to take care of him. In the meantime, Sir Fratley has been having strange visions and, despite his unstable condition, goes off to see what can be done about it. Kuja meets a woman called Demeyra in the castle library, and one called Cleo at the market. He stays with Cleo as her shop assistant for a few months, and falls in love with her. Little does he know she is really Kerne, the servant of Phiran, who wants Kuja dead, and she is weaving a love spell upon him. She runs off on Phiran's ship, and Phiran knocks Kuja from the rooftops, leaving him for dead. However, Kuja is hanging from Demeyra's balcony. Fratley gets attacked by two youths from Phiran who suck his soul out of his body with a specially modified gun. Kuja confesses his past to Demeyra. He is taken back to the palace, where he has a vision of a woman named Renne, who wants him to remember something. Meanwhile, the city comes under attack by Phiran's soldiers, the Soroyans. However, it turns out Phiran just wants to show his strength and pulls back before anyone is killed. Phiran tells the group that he will kidnap Mikoto. Kuja, Zidane and Beatrix fly as fast as they can on Kuja's dragon, but they are too late. One of the youths who attacked Fratley, Cian, is locked up with Mikoto and Fratley's shell for speaking against Phiran, and vows revenge. Kuja goes off on his own on the dragon to find Phiran, but he blacks out and falls from the dragon. The dragon, whose mind is connected to Kuja's, also blacks out and falls on top of Kuja, crushing his legs. Zidane finds Kuja and takes him back to Alexandria, where Kuja discovers his body has become old. Zidane and co. go off to find Phiran in the Red Rose, leaving Kuja and Demeyra behind. Demeyra is furious and Kuja lets her into his mind to tell her how to fly the dragon, so she can go after them.

Demeyra opened her eyes. Kuja lay limply in the wheelchair. He was still in his own mind, watching the clips of his life played out by the four stone trees. Her lips brushed against his. Now she knew everything she needed to know to get out of here and fly the dragon to the Redwing. Now she knew what Kuja had done, what terrible things he had done, but more importantly, she understood why.

She also knew about many things that nobody else knew, such as the powers Kuja had been given by Garland. Most of these Kuja had hardly ever practised and never considered useful, but now, they could save him. One of those powers was the gift of flight. Not flight so much as swooping around in the clouds, that was the dragon's job. But Kuja could levitate several feet off the ground, and he could slow down falling objects, or even himself. Demeyra opened the window and stood on the ledge.

_Trust in me now, Demeyra, _came Kuja's voice from within her.

Demeyra leapt off the ledge. But instead of plummeting down to the ground like a stone, she descended slowly and her landing was as gentle as if she had only jumped from the ground- floor window instead of several storeys above. She ran out of the city gates, where the great silver beast was waiting for her. 

She approached it slowly, with her eyes lowered, to reassure it. Curious, it bent its long silver neck so that they were at eye level. Demeyra felt it questioning her, but she couldn't hear what it was saying.

_What do I do, Kuja?_

_Look into its eyes._

Demeyra raised her head. The dragon's shiny black eyes seemed to clarify her mind somehow, and the question she had felt poking into her mind suddenly made sense.

_Who are you?_

_I am Demeyra. A friend._

_How do you speak to me so? Only one has that power._

_He and I are together. He is in me._

The dragon's eyes narrowed, as if verifying this statement. It didn't render the least bit of shock, only suspicion.

_Kuja... is inside you._

_Yes._

The dragon considered Demeyra. _Then you may fly._

_Thank you, silver dragon. I wish to complete the mission Kuja had been on when he had his... accident._

_Very well._

The dragon knelt down, allowing Demeyra to climb on its back. Nervously, she stood up on its back.

_After the Red Rose!_

The dragon took off and flew north with tremendous speed. Tentatively, Demeyra spread out her arms and let the wind riffle her sleeves and hair. A reluctant smile crept across her face. Despite her inhibitions, she was enjoying this.

Kuja tugged the branch of the second stone tree. A gigantic image was projected on to the blank wall that served as a screen. It was him, in the younger days. In the freedom days. Before he was plunged back into the dark. When he was free to roam and create havoc on Gaia, and he enjoyed it. Before he saw Zidane, or even Queen Brahne. When he was happy. He was in a cave filled with Mist, and he was talking to a young man and woman, who both seemed disturbingly familiar...

"Why are we here again?" the young man asked impatiently.

"I told you," sighed Kuja, "We need to collect Mist."

"And how do we do that?"

"We just pick it up and carry it out."

"Really?"

"No, you fool! We have to use the Invincible. I've already altered the controls so it will do this for us."

"And we just turn it on?" the woman asked.

"Not exactly. You have to go to the back of the cave and start a fire. The smoke will drive the Mist towards the Invincible. Once the fire is started properly, I will switch the Invincible on, so we do not get ordinary air mixed in with the Mist."

"Right."

"Do you remember how to cast Fire?"

"Of course I do!" said the man.

"Go on then."

The man and woman retreated to the back of the cave, and Kuja to the Invincible outside. Soon the glow of fire came from within the cave, and the Mist began moving towards the ship. Kuja opened the eye of the Invincible...

The wall cleared. Kuja blinked a few times. Who were those people? He knew he had seen them somewhere before...

The dragon swooped through the skies of the Forgotten Continent. Demeyra saw something on the horizon. A red speck. It was too far away to make out, but Demeyra had a feeling she knew what it was.

_Do you see that?_

_Yes._

_Is it..._

_Yes._

_We're going in._

The dragon flew towards the red speck, but it slowed down the beating of its wings so they were quieter. Soon they were able to see the shape of the ship, the curves of the red steel that made up its body. Suddenly, from behind them, a bolt of fire shot towards the Redwing, puncturing its shiny surface. Demeyra turned. Behind them was the Red Rose, with an excited yet determined Zidane at the wheel.

_Do you think they've seen us, silver dragon?_

_I don't believe so. We're too high above for them to spot us._

_Okay. Swerve around to the other side and go down so we're near the bottom of the ship._

_May I say something first?_

_Sure._

_You are a natural flyer. Just like Kuja._

Demeyra laughed out loud at this.

_High up here isn't my kinda place. But some things you just gotta do._

The dragon flew around to the opposite side of the Redwing and lowered itself down, so Demeyra was staring at the underbelly of the ship.

_Kuja... what do I do?_

_The ship is steel. Steel is resistant to ice and most fire attacks, but a straight Thundaga will do the trick._

_Right._

Drawing on Kuja's residual traces of magic, Demeyra summoned up the storm clouds. They gathered ominously over the Redwing, black as night. Demeyra gestured towards the Redwing. Flashes of white and blue electricity jumped from the clouds above to the red metal, blasting a huge hole in it. Demeyra leapt from the dragon into the Redwing.

_Keep out of sight. But be ready to appear when I call._

_Good luck._

The dragon swept off under the cover of the thunder clouds, which were already dissipating.


	20. 20 Twin Moons

A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long to get out, but I'm afraid that from now on the gaps between the chapters will be longer, because I'm entering the DREADED GCSE YEARS scary music. Aaaaaaaaaah! Well, I'm pretty pleased with this chapter, but any feedback would be great. Any at all. Go on, you know you want to give me comments!

"Whenever I sang my songs

On this stage, on my own

Whenever I said my words

Wishing they would be heard

I saw you smiling at me."

_Eyes On Me, Nobuo Uematsu_

Kuja approached the third tree slowly. He didn't want to see it. But he had to. He had to work out who they were, the two strangers appearing in Kuja's mind. His boots clacked on the flagstones and the sound echoed around him, distorted by his mind. He pulled on the branch, and the images came up in front of him. However, it was not what he had expected.

He was at a party. He walked through a room grander than anything he had ever seen before. Pearls hung from the chandeliers and the men in black suits offered the guests flutes of a golden liquid, something strange and fizzy which he didn't know at the time, but he now recognised as champagne. People stood in various groups, chatting about international politics and these sorts of things that Kuja had researched for years at the Daguerreo library. A woman, who was obviously the hostess, flitted from group to group, smiling and waving her arms. Kuja's upper lip curled. It was difficult to tell if she _was _a woman or not. Her grand dress and jewelry didn't hide her size, or her elephant- like appearance. However, Kuja was interested in something different. On the stage stood a small girl, no older than eight, with her soft brown hair cut into an inelegant bob. She was singing to the tune of a perfectly polished black grand piano. Her dress and headgear spoke of a life of wealth and power. Her voice was sweet, but she was obviously bored with her song. As the last note died away, she curtseyed and stepped down from the stage. Kuja approached the little girl and bent down so they were at eye level. "What's your name, miss?" he asked softly.

The girl sighed and turned to face him. "My name is Princess Garnet Til Alexandros, sir. I am pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Are you enjoying yourself, Princess?" said Kuja, who, despite his long time of study, wasn't sure how to address this little girl, who was at less than half his age, yet spoke with so much intelligence and power.

"I am having a delightful time, thank you, sir. I find these people quite… fascinating." said Garnet. Unfortunately, her eloquence didn't hide the fact that she was lying through her teeth. That made two of them, then.

"Shall we go out to the balcony? There are not as many people there."

"Yes, let's."

Garnet followed Kuja out to the expansive balcony, where the sky, although dominated by the twin moons, was dotted with stars. Kuja watched the child carefully. As soon as she came onto the balcony, her head lifted too see the sky, and her eyes became round and shiny with wonder.

"I have looked forward to meeting you for a long time, Princess."

"Really?"

Kuja could see she wasn't listening. "Do you know the story of the twin moons, Your Highness?" he said, sitting down on a bench.

"No, I… don't believe I do." Garnet sat beside him.

"Well, like all good stories, this one takes place many years ago, before anyone living today was born. There was an Alexandrian diplomat who had two wonderful children, a pair of twins called Selene and Thoth. They loved each other dearly.

When Selene and Thoth were alive, there was a war going on between Alexandria and Lindblum. Although their father forbade it, they often slipped out of the city together to watch the battles. They swore to each other that one day, they too would fight for Alexandria. However, on the night of the Battle Of The Lune, the most important battle of the war, their father found out about his children's secret visits, and, in a rage, he locked them inside the house and left for a meeting. Nevertheless, the children's love for each other and their homeland was so great that they managed to break out of the house and escape to a nearby hill, where they watched the battle unseen. The Alexandrian soldiers were losing, and, to the children's horror, the Alexandrian captain fell from his steed. In that moment, in the midst of the blood and the death, divinity touched the children, and they understood everything in the world and saw everything in the world. They rushed to the captain's side and pulled him from the path of a stampeding horse. Thoth raised his knife and slit his own throat, and the blood poured into the captain and replaced all the blood he had already lost. Selene wept, and her tears fell onto the captain's wounds and healed them, and he leapt up, refreshed and ready to fight again. Selene, still weeping her healing tears, saw that Thoth was dying. She couldn't bear to be parted from him, so she too slit open her throat and their blood poured out onto the grass and they rose up into the sky. And there they are watching over us today."

Garnet gazed at the twin moons with amazement shining in her wide innocent eyes. "Which one is which?"

"Selene is the blue moon, and Thoth is the red moon." Kuja said, pointing at the moons in turn. It seemed that the princess had swallowed the story. It wasn't hard to fool an eight- year- old, after all. "Your voice is quite something, Princess."

"Thank you very much. I have practised every day since I was little."

"You sound like a canary. Do you know what a canary is?"

"No, I don't believe I do."

"They are little yellow birds, no bigger than my hand, that live around Cleyra. They are famous for their sweet voices."

"I should like to hear a canary."

"One day, I will bring you one, Your Highness."

"Are you a traveller, then?"

"Of sorts, yes, though I plan to stay in Alexandria for a while."

Garnet's face fell. "Then I will not be able to see a canary."

Kuja turned to her and held her hand. "I will bring you a canary soon, Your Highness. I swear it."

Garnet smiled for the first time. "Where do you come from, sir?"

"A long way away, Princess."

"Then you are not Alexandrian."

"No, although I find your culture fascinating. I hope to meet the Queen."

"You certainly have high ambitions. How did you come here? Who invited you?"

"Oh… the Burmecian ambassador."

"I see. Well, sir, it has been a pleasure meeting you, but I really must retire to my bed. Thank you for the story, and I do hope to see a canary soon."

"Good night, Princess."

"Good night."

Garnet got up and walked back into the party. Kuja watched her out of the corner of his eye. She said something to her mother, the elephant- lady, and left the room. Kuja got up and followed her at a distance, being careful not to make a sound on the stone floor, until she entered what was obviously her bedroom. Kuja rejoined the party for a few hours, making polite chatter and entertaining the guests with his dry sense of humour, until he judged the time was right.

No- one noticed Kuja slip off out of the party area. No- one noticed him follow the Princess' trail. No- one noticed him turn the doorknob slowly, ever so slowly, until the door swung open before him. Kuja entered the Princess' bedroom unseen. He saw the window was open, and walked across to it. A flock of doves flitted by in the night. Being careful not to wake the sleeping girl, Kuja shut the windows, pulling in the delicate pink curtains. Then he pulled a chair towards the bed, sat down, and watched the Princess sleep.


End file.
